Massachusetts Man Allegedly Tries to Get Out of Paying for Taxi

Attack on Taxi Driver in Tewksbury

Police said that a man pepper-sprayed his taxi driver in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, just to get out of paying the fare, according to whdh.com.

How serious are the charges?

You may be wondering what type of crime pepper spraying someone is. Very serious as it turns out.

Thomas Miele of Methuen was apprehended by police on Sunday and is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and evading a taxi fare, according to the news station.

Miele was taken into police custody without incident, the news station reported.

Taking on a taxi driver is probably not the best idea. The taxi driver has a record of where they picked you up and where you requested to be dropped off. Also, many cab drivers have installed cameras in their vehicles for their safety.

So using pepper spray seems a pretty harsh reaction to getting out of paying for a ride.

Taxi drivers have been working and taking risks during this pandemic. Can you imagine just picking up random people and driving them around in an enclosed vehicle and not knowing if COVID-19 is along for the ride?

Taxi drivers are essential workers and should be respected.

Thomas Miele is due to face charges in court on Monday, WHDH reported.