Police are seeking information about a serious assault that allegedly occurred between a taxi driver and his passenger late Wednesday night.

Officers were called to a gas station in the 3100 block of Edmonton Trail N.E. for reports of an altercation between a taxi driver and his passenger at around 10:00 p.m.

When they arrived, they found the male passenger in life threatening condition.

He was taken to hospital and has been upgraded to stable condition.

A preliminary investigation determined the victim was hit in the head with a blunt object.

Detective Phil Hunt with the Calgary Police Service says the taxi driver and passenger were in a disagreement that escalated to the point when physical violence broke out and the driver struck the passenger with a traffic pylon.

"The taxi driver was arrested at the scene," he said. "He spoke to police at the time and waited and cooperated."

Hunt says the circumstances about what led up to the fight are still under investigation.

"There was a dispute over the fare; that's fair to say. That's what I think was the catalyst for the argument, clearly."

He adds they are also looking into how long the passenger had been in the vehicle with the driver.

"The passenger had been in the cab for a number of hours."

The taxi driver, 40-year-old Hintsa Oqubu, was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of assault with a weapon.

He’s expected to appear in court on May 31.

Checker Cabs, the company that the driver works for, says the passenger started the fight over the fare that was for an eight-hour time period.

Hunt say they are reviewing a number of pieces of evidence, including audio and video recorded inside the cab.

Police are asking for anyone who may have witnessed what took place to come forward and contact police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously through the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org