Laurence Dollimore
A BRIT and a Dutchman have been arrested after allegedly beating up a taxi driver because he refused to help them deliver drugs.
The British man, aged 36, and his Dutch friend, 29, are also accused of stealing the victim’s phone, before they allegedly punched him in the face repeatedly.
The alleged incident took place in Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, Ibiza, in the early hours of September 25.
READ MORE: ‘I thought they were going to kill me’: Taxi driver savagely attacked in Mallorca
The 53-year-old taxi driver had picked up two women and a man, who told him there were going to be multiple stops on their journey.
At the first stop, one of the passengers left the car and returned a few minutes later with two boxes filled with nitrous oxide, aka laughing gas.
They then travelled to a ‘well-known’ hotel, where the three passengers got out and handed the two boxes to two men waiting on the street.
It was at that moment the taxi driver realised they were likely dealing drugs and so he refused to complete their journey and demanded they pay the €18 that they had racked up until that point.
When the passengers refused to pay until their journey was complete, the taxi driver got out his phone to call the police.
However it was then when one of the clients allegedly snatched his phone and began punching him in the face.
One of the men who had been waiting for the laughing gas delivery then grabbed him from behind to allow for more punches.
Two women drove by the scene shouted at them to stop, causing the attackers to run inside the hotel.
However Guardia Civil and Policia Local officers soon arrived and arrested the two suspects for robbery and assault.
The victim had to be treated by paramedics for his injuries.
It comes just weeks after three German tourists allegedly beat a 71-year-old taxi driver to within an inch of his life in Mallorca.
Many taxi drivers in the Balearics are now refusing to work at night.
Many have suffered ‘serious problems’ and ‘keep the episodes of violence secret for fear of reprisals’, an industry leader told OK Diario.
