TWO tourists riding in a taxi witnessed the driver being assaulted by another motorist.
The taxi driver, who did not want to be identified, told Variety that on April 29, 2023, at around 8:25 p.m. he picked up two Korean tourists at Surf Rider Club Restaurant who wanted to go to Joeten Shopping Center.
“A Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck driven by a local driver started honking loudly behind my car,” the taxi driver said. “The pick-up overtook my car and turned right in front of me. So, I had to stop the car. A local male came out of the pick-up truck and told me to roll my window down even though I had two Korean tourists in my car. When I rolled the window down, the man shouted profanity and threatened to kill me. He punched the left side of my face without any reason,” the taxi driver said, adding that his lips were bruised and bled.
He said he called the Department of Public Safety and reported the incident, including the registration plate number of the pick-up truck.
“An investigating police officer showed me a photo of a person on his cell phone and asked me if it was the person that assaulted me. I said yes,” the taxi driver said.
The incident scared the Korean tourists, he added.
“They asked, ‘Why this is happening on Saipan? Is Saipan a safe place to visit? Are there dangerous people around Saipan?’ They changed their mind and instead of going to the shopping center, they decided to go back to their hotel.”
The taxi driver said he also sought medical assistance at the hospital.
He noted that the CNMI tourism industry has yet to recover from the pandemic restrictions. “What happened to me should not happen at all to anyone. And no one wants tourists returning to their home countries with a bad experience on Saipan. I pray and hope that CNMI law enforcement will take appropriate action to protect legal taxi drivers,” he added.
As of Tuesday evening, DPS had not issued any official statement regarding the incident.
A photo of the plate number of a Toyota Tacoma pick-up whose operator assaulted a taxi driver.
