A taxi driver was charged with assaulting a customer on Snelling Avenue near Portland Avenue, according to a complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court.

Michael Z. Ghebregziabiher, 55, was charged with one count each of second-degree and third-degree assault, according to the complaint.

A St. Paul man flagged down a cab in downtown Minneapolis early Thursday morning, according to the complaint. He paid Ghebregziabiher up front and gave him his Grand Avenue address. The passenger told police he suggested the cabdriver take the Cretin Avenue exit, but the driver insisted on following the GPS instructions. After arguing about it, the man asked Ghebregziabiher to pull over so he could walk home, the complaint said.

Once they stopped, Ghebregziabiher reportedly hit, punched, and twice used Mace on the passenger, according to the complaint. The rider reported being unable to see, but he eventually escaped from the car and grabbed Ghebregziabiher’s phone, according to the complaint.

When officers found the passenger, he “was covered in blood from head to toe” and “when…he removed his bloody baseball hat from his head blood poured down his face,” the complaint said. He was transported to a hospital. Nearby, officers found a bloody white bag with a crowbar inside, according to the complaint.

Ghebregziabiher returned to the scene later looking for his cell phone and was taken into custody, according to the complaint. Related Articles Maplewood police asking for help in fatal pedestrian hit-and-run Saturday night

Man pleads guilty to poaching black bear on northern Minnesota reservation

Oakdale man sentenced to 30 years for death of West St. Paul father shot as 2-year-old son slept beside him

Therapy dog-in training stolen in St. Paul found, reunited with owners

Psychological exam ordered for Pakistani doctor/ex-Mayo researcher in terrorism case

He claimed the passenger was drunk and became belligerent, the complaint said. He said he stopped the car to force the passenger out, but the passenger punched him and refused, according to the complaint.

Ghebregziabiher told authorities he used Mace to force the passenger out out. The passenger hit his head while getting out of the car and again on the curb. Ghebregziabiher reported that the two struggled for a while outside the cab before Ghebregziabiher drove off, the complaint said.

Ghebregziabiher does not have any prior felonies listed. His first appearance was Monday afternoon.