A Guelph man faces several assault and weapons charges after a taxi driver was punched in the face and had a knife pulled on him. The incident happened around 1:40 p.m. Thursday near St. George’s Square. Guelph Police said a man had taken a cab downtown and told the driver he needed to cash a cheque before paying for his ride. The man entered the bank but exited another door in an attempt to avoid paying his fare, where he was confronted by the driver. An altercation ensued, with the driver being punched and kicked in the face before the suspect pulled a knife out of his backpack and began threatening the man. The suspect fled shortly after, but was soon located and arrested by police a short distance away. Officers recovered the knife from a nearby flowerbed. A 65-year-old Guelph man was charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, uttering threats, transportation fraud, and two counts of breaching a probation order.
