"If It Were Me, I Would Abandon the Taxi and Run"... Passenger Asking for a Long Ride Turns Out to Be a Murderer

Taxi Driver Shows Quick Wit to Redirect Car to Charging Station
Police Tracking Taxi Arrest Suspect at Scene

A taxi driver in China played a crucial role in capturing a murder suspect by calmly responding and showing quick thinking while having the suspect as a passenger.

On the 23rd (local time), the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on an incident experienced by taxi driver A in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on the 14th. On that day, A picked up a man in his 20s, B, as a passenger on the road. B requested a long-distance trip to Weifang, Shandong Province, about 1100 km away from the boarding point. The two agreed on a taxi fare of 4,500 yuan (about 870,000 KRW). B paid 4,000 yuan (about 770,000 KRW) in advance and said he would pay the remaining amount upon arrival.

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Besides passenger B, the taxi driven by A also had a co-driver, C, on board. This was because company policy requires a co-driver to accompany long-distance trips. After traveling about 300 km, B demanded A to drive faster. When A said he needed to drive safely, B muttered, "I killed someone. I need to get home quickly to say goodbye to my family."

C took this as a joke and laughed it off, but A noticed from B’s expression in the back seat that the situation was serious. At that moment, A received a phone call. The caller was the police from Jingmen City, Hubei Province. The police informed A that passenger B was a murder suspect and requested cooperation in tracking and capturing him. After hanging up, A pretended it was a wrong call and turned the car toward a charging station. He also signaled C to remain calm.

While A charged the vehicle at the station, the police arrived on the scene and immediately arrested B. On the 17th, the police awarded A and C each 1,000 yuan (about 200,000 KRW) for their contribution to the suspect’s capture. Local netizens who learned of this praised driver A on Chinese social networking service Weibo for his calm response. Comments included, "A’s quick thinking and response are amazing," "If I were the taxi driver, I would have abandoned the car and run away," "I can’t believe this is a real situation," and "It’s amazing that the police can track taxi drivers’ phone numbers through a surveillance networking system."