No Fare-Fight Winners, Cabbies Told : Violence: A mandatory safety class teaches taxi drivers how to become street-wise, but not everyone is getting the message.

Four days before Christmas, cabdriver Jafar Barzanjy was killed in a fight over a fare too small to purchase a decent Christmas tree.

Cheated by a couple he had taken to Golden Hill, Barzanjy became irate and returned to a gas station where he had picked up the couple and smashed in the windows of their stalled vehicle. The 38-year-old father of two was found shot dead in his cab several hours later.

“Apparently he got stiffed for the fare and was angry over it,” said police spokesman Bill Robinson. “He was killed for a mere $13 or $14.”

Barzanjy is one of a number of cab drivers killed in the last three years who could have avoided losing their lives if they had followed common sense rules on self-protection, according to police officials who teach a safety class for cabdrivers.

The class was designed to help cabdrivers avoid losing their lives or being robbed over the small amounts of money they carry.

“Most of the drivers welcomed the class,” said Barbara Lupro of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board. “It was the driver’s idea, they were worried about an outbreak in robberies that was occurring at the time.”

When assaults on cabdrivers reached a violent peak in 1990, taxi companies clamored for the police department to give them some answers on how cabdrivers could protect themselves on the streets. Beatings, stabbings and gunshots were plaguing an increasing number of cabdrivers.

In November, 1990, a Yellow Cab taxi driver lost an eye when a woman passenger splashed a caustic chemical on his face and then robbed him of his fares.

The San Diego Police Department, with the help of the mayor and several cab companies, formed the safety school to help the drivers become “street-wise” to cab criminals. The idea pleased the cab companies so much they agreed to make the class mandatory to all people applying for a cabdriver’s license. And the companies also mandated a refresher course every two years.

Simon Barnett, a supervisor for Orange Cab Company, said that most cabdrivers see the class as an inconvenience, but added “that’s cab drivers for you.” He also said that most of the drivers don’t believe violence can happen to them and subsequently do not take it seriously.

Despite the mandatory safety class, recent police statistics indicate there has not been a drop in robberies committed against cabdrivers. According to police, more than 36 robberies have occurred this year.

USA Cab Ltd. owner, Alfredo Hueso, said the statistics have not declined because more drivers are reporting attacks.

“Many of the drivers had a certain mind-set and wouldn’t report any of the smaller robberies,” Hueso said. “Now, they realize that every time a robbery is reported, it helps another driver avoid one.”

Officer John Graham, who works out of the San Diego police crime prevention unit, devised the class, which familiarizes drivers with criminal patterns and the various methods attackers use against cabdrivers.

“We have updates on where a series of robberies has taken place and we make the drivers aware of the location,” said Graham, who taught the class until last November.

A common mistake made by cabdrivers is becoming too comfortable with passengers after driving with them for a while, Graham said. “Drivers should be aware there is a danger spectrum out there. Criminals have a three-step process where they pick out a victim, make a plan and then do it.

“The cabdrivers always have to be watching the passenger’s hands as they get into the cab, looking for weapons and being aware of who is around the area they stop,” Graham said.

Many cab companies say the safety class is not the only preventive method against crime but, it is the most economical.

Steel caged partitions, bulletproof glass and metal detectors are other suggested safety devices, but most cab companies do not feel that those measures are worth the cost to install. They say bulletproof windows are too expensive and cannot prevent robberies from happening.

“I’m not sure it could really help,” said Gregory Johns of Metro Cab. “They have steel-caged partitions in New York and they have problems also.”

Mike Allen, 42, manager of Radio Cab, is equally pessimistic about bulletproof glass.

“Bulletproof glass is nice, but there really isn’t any protection. A robber can still shoot you from another angle. And besides, we would have to spend about $5,000 on just one car,” Allen said.

Still another complaint against bulletproof windows or steel caged partitions is the insurance cost if a passenger happens to hit his head on the protective apparatus.

“Rather than hit the seat, they are going to hit the partition, which will be metal if it is going to be strong enough to hold the metal cage up,” Hueso said. “It would be more costly than our business is worth.”

Hueso also said robberies and assaults on cabdrivers are the result of the serious drug problem on the San Diego streets. There is no question in his mind that the violence has escalated in the last two years because of drug addicts who will do anything--including murdering a cabdriver for his fares.

“The problem is that some of the passengers that get in the cabs are convicted felons and they rob the cabs to get money for their drugs,” Hueso said. “It’s up to the cab companies to reinforce to their drivers what they have learned in the safety class.

The slain cabdriver, Jafar Barzanjy, was upset because he had been victimized three previous times by people refusing to pay the fares, said Debra Post, spokeswoman for Coast Cab Company.

Against the advice of his supervisors, he returned to the gas station where he had picked the couple who didn’t pay, and which probably provoked an altercation, police said.

Officer Graham, who taught the safety class to Barzanjy, said: “My suggestion to him would have been to stay calm and rational and file a police report.

“He should have never gone back,” Graham added. “It shouldn’t have been a life-threatening situation.

“This type of incident could have been avoided if a sign was placed in the cab saying ‘All Fares Over $5 Are Paid Up Front,’ ” Graham said. “Then, if they don’t pay you up front, you don’t take them.”