THE taxi driver who allegedly punched a motorist 15 times has come forward to give his side of what happened.

On Monday, The New Paper ran a report on rojak seller Choo Zin Chye, who was beaten up over a honking incident on 9 Jul along Woodlands Street 31.

Yesterday, the taxi driver, Mr Sallehhuddin, 40, contacted The New Paper and denied punching Mr Choo so many times.

This is Mr Sallehhuddin's version of events.

At about 9.25am that day, he had just finished the night shift and went to buy breakfast at Block 301 near that road.

Mr Sallehhuddin, a father of four, said his taxi was straddling the middle of the centre white line and Mr Choo's car was behind him.

Both sides of the road were lined with cars. Then a truck turned into the road, coming face to face with his taxi.

Mr Sallehhuddin said his taxi was boxed in as Mr Choo's car was following closely behind his taxi.

But Mr Choo had claimed there was sufficient space on the left for MrSallehhuddin to move.

Mr Sallehhuddin said Mr Choo started honking at him.

He then got out of his taxi and called out to the truck driver to reverse.

The driver did.

But as Mr Sallehhuddin was heading back to his taxi, Mr Choo hurl vulgarities at him, MrSallehhuddin said.

'He was also honking and making rude hand gestures at me,' he added.

He decided to confront Mr Choo and walked to his car.

Both men got into a heated argument. Then things got ugly.

Mr Sallehhuddin claimed Mr Choo, who was still in the car, grabbed his shirt and pulled him head first through the window.

HIT HIM BY ACCIDENT

Mr Choo had claimed in the previous report that MrSallehhuddin had attacked him suddenly and punched him in the face and head repeatedly for at least 15 times.

But Mr Sallehhuddin said: 'After he grabbed me, I tried to free myself and I probably hit his face once by accident. It was a scuffle, not an attack.'

But how did Mr Choo end up with a fractured right cheekbone?

Mr Sallehhuddin said: 'I was trying to free myself and can't really remember what happened.

'But if I had intentionally punched him 15 times, his face would be completely smashed.'

He claimed that Mr Choo also hit him during the scuffle.

But Mr Sallehhuddin did admit that after freeing himself, he also shouted vulgarities at Mr Choo.

Mr Choo had accused MrSallehhuddin of revving the engine threatening later, as if he was going to smash into his car.

But Mr Sallehhuddin said he did no such thing.

Mr Choo then called the police and an ambulance.

Mr Sallehhuddin, who has been a taxi driver for two years, had been driving for his latest taxi company for a month.

If it was just a scuffle, why did the company sack him?

Mr Sallehhuddin claimed that the company 'will fire you if you get into a fight'.

A spokesman for the taxi company told The New Paper that they had conducted a detailed investigation, following which, Mr Sallehhuddin's hiring agreement was terminated.

- Fiona Liaw, newsroom intern

This article was first published in The New Paper on July 17, 2008.

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