Photo by Chris Reif

The D.C. Taxicab Commission suspended the license of a cab driver who was found guilty earlier this month of assaulting a customer. Kefyalew B. Teshome was found guilty January 9 in D.C. Superior Court on a misdemeanor charge of attacking a passenger last March 3.

According to a complaint filed with the taxi commission, Teshome attacked a customer who had just exited his cab in Northwest D.C. Teshome was finally charged October 18 for simple assault and pleaded not guilty. The commission was informed of the verdict on January 18, and moved to suspend Teshome’s operator’s license yesterday. The driver was also slapped with a fine of $1,000, though he is entitled to an appeal before the D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings. For the assault conviction, Teshome was also sentenced to complete 60 hours of community service.

“This is an egregious violation that we take very seriously,” D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Ron Linton said in a news release. “The passengers in D.C. taxis should be assured that we will move swiftly to take action against such unacceptable behavior by drivers.”

The taxi commission also said that continuing to permit Teshome to drive would be an “imminent danger” to the public.

Neville Waters, a DCTC spokesman, said the agency received 977 complaints for all manners of taxi code violations in 2012, and that Teshome’s suspension is the first for such an action.