Man who punched cab driver over taxi fare in Tacoma gets probation

A man who punched a taxi driver because he didn’t want to pay his fare was sentenced to two years of probation Wednesday.

Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, 43, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and obstructing a law enforcement officer.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jerry Costello sentenced Sidhu to 364 days but suspended the sentence, meaning Sidhu doesn’t have to serve the time if he stays out of trouble.

He was arrested in August after calling a taxi to take him from King County to Tacoma. Sidhu did not give the driver an address but rather offered directions that ran up a $96.50 fare, according to court documents.

When the cab driver told Sidhu he’d call another driver to complete the trip because he was getting off work, Sidhu got angry.

Sidhu climbed into the front seat, threw items from the glove box around the car, tried to rip the taxi meter off the center console and hit the driver.

When a Tacoma police officer arrived and took Sidhu into custody, Sidhu allegedly officered the officer $500 to “forget the whole incident and let him go,” records show.

The driver told the court he’s unable to sleep, doesn’t trust customers and suffers neck pain after the attack.

“I am constantly afraid that someone will attack me and injure me again,” he wrote in a victim impact statement. “People should not be able to commit crimes like this and get away with it.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Man who punched cab driver over taxi fare in Tacoma gets probation."