"A lot of drivers won't do flags just because it's taking a risk," said Carla Hauge, a customer service representative for Yellow Cab in Tacoma. But Eltahir "is very attentive to people needing rides," she said.

Early Thursday, that attentiveness nearly cost Eltahir his life.

He picked up a man trying to hail a cab near the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. Police say the man directed Eltahir to a Puyallup neighborhood, then shot him several times.

Eltahir was able to call 911 and provide a description of the shooter and his direction of travel before he lost consciousness, Puyallup police spokeswoman Lorri Ericson said.

A Puyallup police officer arrested a man less than three minutes later.

Eltahir, 36, a Seattle husband and father, suffered multiple injuries and was being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He is expected to recover.

"The silver lining in the situation is that he's going to be OK," Hauge said.

Eltahir's wife, Natalie Davis-Eltahir, told KIRO TV that doctors believe it will take her husband about a year to fully recover from his injuries. She also said she does not want him returning to driving a taxi because it's too dangerous.

The suspect, a Tacoma man, 31, was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery. He was expected to make his first court appearance this afternoon.

Eltahir immigrated to the United States from Sudan 15 years ago. He originally settled in North Carolina but moved to Seattle after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, KIRO TV reported.

Eltahir has worked for Yellow Cab for two years on the graveyard shift, Hauge said. He typically worked seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, KIRO TV reported.

Hauge described Eltahir as a good family man who was well-liked by his customers.

"He goes to school during the day and drives a cab at night," Hauge said. "He's an awesome driver."

Eltahir has received complimentary letters from his customers in the past.

"He'll go the extra mile," she said. "He's the one who will help the old lady in the car."

According to police, the man Eltahir picked up wanted to be taken to the 100 block of Fifth Avenue Northwest.

Once there, the man shot Eltahir three times with a handgun, Ericson said. The taxi driver called 911 at 1:09 a.m. to report that he'd been shot. Several witnesses also called 911.

Officers and medical teams responded, and Eltahir gave a police sergeant a description of his attacker and his direction of travel, Ericson said.

An officer heading to the scene spotted a man matching the description about a half-mile from the scene. The officer stopped the man and found a pistol on him, police reported.

"We believe robbery was the motive," Ericson said. But investigators believe the suspect got little - if any - money from Eltahir.

Eltahir is not the first local cabbie assaulted and robbed on duty. Three Tacoma drivers were seriously injured in on-the-job assaults between December 2005 and June 2006. Each survived.

One of them, Robbie "Doc" Lambert, was blinded when he was shot in the head during a robbery in April 2006. Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said investigators have several leads in that case but have made no arrests.

Last year, the Tacoma City Council approved an ordinance updating requirements for city-licensed cabs. All licensed cabs must be equipped with GPS tracking systems and working digital security cameras by Dec. 31, 2010.

Eltahir's cab did not have a security camera, Hauge said.

Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268

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