Taxi driver set up for carjacking

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A taxi driver is recovering after a carjacking early Monday morning on the city’s east side.

Police say it was a planned set-up that took advantage of the driver's generosity. Taxi driver Solomon Hailu will never refuse someone a ride.

"I'm a taxi driver. I'm service and I took some many, many people, if they don't have money, I give them ride home," said Hailu. So when a distressed woman flagged him down early Monday morning in an alley off East Michigan Street he didn't think twice.

"She said, 'I want to go to the hospital with my Mom.' 'Which hospital?' I said. 'Where is your Mom?'"

But instead of her Mom, two men got in the back of his car and all three started hitting him. Hailu struggled out and tried to fight back but one of the men took off with his car down the road.

"I have to fight them serious. I hit the black guy, the guy was behind me and hit the other. I slapped her, slap her and she must cut my finger," said Hailu.

Minutes later an officer driving by saw Hailu walking in the middle of the road, stopped and called EMS. Hailu was taken to safety but before he left he got a call. His taxi had been found abandoned.

"I feel lucky, yeah. I feel lucky when I got, found my car. They didn't take anything!"

Hailu admits it was a scare, but not enough to keep him from his job. As soon as his car was found, he left in it to pick up his next customer.