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EAST ALTON - A taxi cab driver was seriously assaulted by a passenger at 6 p.m. on December 30, 2020, in East Alton, then later the man who committed the assault entered the home of a woman on Goulding Avenue.
The man was in desperation and pleaded with the frightened woman to help him, while her dog barked at him. The man told the woman someone was trying to kill him and the police were looking for him, then thankfully, he fled out the front door.
East Alton Police were contacted, but the man hasn’t yet been located and East Alton Police are seeking any information about the man's identity or background.
East Alton Police Department Major Christian Cranmer said the odyssey started when the man contacted a cab to take him from East Alton Plaza to St. Louis. The man sat in the cab's front seat and when he found out it was $50 estimate for a trip to the Greyhound Bus Station in St. Louis, he became out of control with anger. The man seriously beat the helpless cab driver with a barrage of punches.
The cab driver contacted the police and went to a local hospital for treatment of abrasions and swelling after taking several blows to his face and body.
“We don’t know who he is yet,” said Major Cranmer, who issued a video of the scene in the taxi to Riverbender.com. The video is embedded in this story above.
When the man found his way in the East Alton home on Goulding, the garage door was open and he just went inside. Cranmer said the man did not harm the woman physically.
Cranmer said the suspect may have mental health issues.
East Alton Police Department wants any information about the man if anyone can make out his identity from the video or still photo included.
Contact East Alton Police Department immediately if you have information about the suspect and ask for Cranmer or any of the officers at (618) 259-6212.
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