Taxi driver threatens to "blow brains out" of journalist in Istanbul
A taxi driver has threatened a journalist with "blowing his brains out" in Istanbul's Altunizade district. The driver was seen hurling insults at the journalist, who recorded the incident with his cell phone.
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Duvar English
A taxi driver has threatened a journalist with "blowing his brains out" in Istanbul's Altunizade district.
Journalist Fırat Fıstık was trying to reach his home in Kadıköy early on Nov. 13 when he spotted seven taxis waiting for customers.
According to Fıstık, the drivers told him that they only accept those who are headed towards the European side.
One of the drivers then started hurling insults at Fıstık, who recorded the incident with his cell phone.
"You can't record me. I will blow your brains out," the driver is heard saying in the video.
The incident comes amid Istanbul's ever-growing taxi problem. While it has become practically impossible to find a taxi when needed due to their number being so low, drivers often make headlines for rejecting customers in a bid to find others that they can charge more. When customers react and say that they don't have the right to choose, drivers tend to get infuriated and start insulting them.
Overcharging is another problem, with drivers taking more money from customers, often non-Turkish speakers, than they should.