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“The driver finally said, ‘Either I take you to a police station or I have to take you back downtown,'” Enders said.

The driver then began driving back downtown from Britannia, a neighbourhood on the east side of the Elbow River.

But then, Enders alleges the passenger punched the driver in the head, knocking him unconscious before hitting him another 15 times.

Then, Enders said the video shows the passenger trying to take control of the wheel, rolling the cab onto its roof.

Calgary police said they were called to the crash near Elbow Drive S.W. and Crescent Boulevard at about 3:30 a.m.

However, they said they couldn’t provide any more information, including whether or not the passenger was in custody. Enders said he believed the man was arrested.

The day after the incident, Enders said the driver is “thankful to be alive” and doing OK.

“He’s definitely shocked,” said Enders. “He’s sore and has some bruises.”

This isn’t the first time a Calgary taxi driver has been assaulted on the job. A woman was convicted of assault for throwing a bag of vomit at a taxi driver last August.

And earlier last summer, videos surfaced of two separate incidents where passengers verbally attacked cabbies using racist slurs. A Calgary man was charged for allegedly slapping a taxi driver in another a few weeks afterwards.

But among all the incidents of cabbie abuse he’s seen, Enders said this is probably the most disturbing.

“We’re very shocked and disappointed that this is what happened when someone was just trying to do their job and get someone home safe,” he said.

“I’m not sure what could have been in place to stop the rage from this guy.”

emcintosh@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/EmmaMci