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Cops: Cabbies used knife, gun, and fist in fight over fare

A fight over a fare between two rival taxi drivers ended with one driver shooting the other three times Saturday afternoon outside the Frankford Transportation Center, police said.

Around 1:15 p.m. a 43-year-old cabbie with the Philadelphia Taxicab Service got into an argument with a 52-year-old taxi driver from an unidentified company over which of them would take the next fare, police said.

The 52-year-old won out and took the next customer but before he drove away he pointed a large knife at the other cabbie, according to police.

After dropping off his fare, the 52-year-old returned to the transportation center on the 5200 block of Frankford Avenue about a half hour later. With a plastic bag in one hand, he walked up to the 43-year-old cabbie he'd argued with and punched him in the face without saying a word, police said.

The victim told police that he knew the other driver had a knife, so he pulled out his gun and shot him three times, according to authorities. The cabbie was hit twice in the torso and suffered a graze wound to his head, according to police. He was taken to Aria Health's Torresdale Campus. His condition was not released by police.

Authorities said the taxi driver with the gun had a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon.

In a news release, police did not say which of the drivers was charged in the incident, though the cabbie with the gun was referred to as the "victim" and the driver with the knife was referred to as the "offender."

A dispatcher with Philadelphia Taxicab Service said an owner or manager was not available to comment until Monday.