Georgetown

‘Wildest Thing I Could Have Imagined:' Man Says DC Cab Driver Took Off With Him on Hood

"A minor accident turned into the wildest thing I could have imagined"

A man took a wild ride through D.C. on Thursday when a cab driver took off with him on the hood of the taxi.

The incident was caught on Eric Chandler’s cell phone video as he was holding on for his life.

Chandler was driving his Nissan near Georgetown when cab driver Rowland Akpata rear ended him at a red light, police said.

But when Chandler got out of his car to exchange insurance information, things took a turn.

"A minor accident turned into the wildest thing I could have imagined," Chandler said.

As Chandler approached, the cab driver threw his vehicle into reverse. Then, according to police, the cab driver accelerated and knocked Chandler on the hood.

The cab driver then drove for several blocks as Chandler hung on to the hood and filmed the encounter, capturing a flurry of shots of pavement, buildings and — through the windshield — the cab driver gripping the wheel with both hands. Chandler can be heard yelling for the police.

Chandler eventually fell off and hurt his leg, accidentally dropping his cell phone inside the cab. Passersby helped him call 911.

“I could have lost my life. I could have been injured worse than what I am,” Chandler said.

Officers stopped the cab driver a few blocks away and found Chandler’s phone under the driver’s seat, police said.

Akpata was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving. He bonded out of jail.

The driver said the police report is inaccurate and will have a court appearance within the next few weeks.

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