Cab Driver Chases, Strikes Pedestrian

A taxi driver deliberately ran his car into a pedestrian who had made a gesture at him after the cab nearly struck him, Burbank police said Tuesday.

The driver, described as being in his mid-30s, drove off after the assault at 11:15 p.m. Monday and has not been seen, Sgt. Don Goldberg said.

Chris Shaver, 22, of Burbank suffered a bruised hip when he was struck by the cab’s right front fender and fell to the ground in a driveway in the 1400 block of North Keystone Street, Goldberg said.

According to police, Shaver was in a crosswalk on Victory Boulevard when the light turned red. The cab, heading east on Victory, drove within three feet of Shaver, Goldberg said. After Shaver made the gesture, the cab driver made a U-turn and chased Shaver, who ran north on Keystone into a driveway, Goldberg said. After the car struck Shaver, the cabdriver backed out of the driveway and sped north on Keystone, he said.