Quincy cab driver facing kidnapping charges

QUINCY, Mass. -- A taxi cab customer taken for a ride in Quincy, and now the cab driver is behind bars.

The driver, Osei Kwame, took the two passengers to Billings Road; the only problem was they asked to go to Billings Street - a small mistake that led to serious charges.

It started as a simple cab ride to a friend’s home in Quincy.

“Leaving early and getting home safe didn’t really turn out the way that I thought it would,” said the victim. She did not want to use her full name or show her face because she says she is still traumatized by what unfolded early Saturday morning.

After leaving a bar in Boston, the victim and her friend took a cab headed towards Quincy. The driver took them to the wrong address. They tried to correct him, but eventually they got out of the cab to pay.

The victim said that’s when he began to drive away. Her friend was already out of the taxi and the victim’s door was half open as the car began to move - she was trapped inside.

“I started shouting and at that point he shut the glass barrier and completely ignored me,” said the victim.

After begging him to stop, she called 911.

“She stayed on the phone the entire time and she told the cab driver that she was calling 911,” said Lt. Jeffrey Burrell of the Quincy Police Department. “So he was aware that the police were being called.”

The victim said the driver was speeding and running red lights as he got to the highway. Officers pulled over the taxi on I-93. Even then, the victim said she didn’t feel safe.

“I panicked. I thought ‘What’s he going to do?’” said the victim. “Is he going to turn around? Does he have a weapon on him?”

Kwame was arrested and charged with kidnapping.

The victim said the terrifying ride makes her wonder if she’ll ever get into a cab again.

“You literally have visions of what would have happened,” said the victim. “It’s just really scary.”

The cab company claimed they hadn’t heard about the incident nor the cab driver who was arrested, although they said they do have around 700 drivers working for them.

Kwame will appear in court in Quincy on Monday morning.

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