Police have arrested a man they say stabbed a rideshare driver shuttling him from Robinson to Cranberry because “he felt that the ride was taking too long.”
Pennsylvania State Police Monday charged Saul Marcial Baxin, 31, with two felony counts of aggravated assault, three misdemeanor counts of simple assault and other charges.
He was awaiting arraignment Tuesday, court records show.
A Lyft driver told police that Baxin “became upset” after the driver picked him up around 11 p.m. Sunday in Robinson and headed north, according to a criminal complaint. Baxin tried to grab the driver by his neck, causing the driver to miss an exit, police said.
The driver “proceeded to pull the car over and asked (Baxin) if he wanted to drive,” the complaint said. Baxin declined and the northbound trip on Interstate 79 resumed.
The drive turned on his Toyota Corolla’s interior lights and saw Baxin “was now holding a knife,” the complaint said. Baxin lunged at the driver with the blade, cutting the right side of the driver’s neck, according to the complaint.
Police said a struggle ensued while the car was still in motion on the roadway. The vehicle struck an embankment.
Baxin then ran from the vehicle, according to the complaint, which did not list a home address for him.
The driver, who authorities have not named, stopped at a Sheetz convenience store on Neville Island’s Grand Avenue and called police, the complaint said. There was blood on the rear passenger door of his sedan.
The driver also gave police the folding knife he said Baxin used to attack him, the complaint said. First responders took the driver to Allegheny General Hospital for treatment.
Police said they later found Baxin near Coraopolis Road. The suspect had approached a passing driver and punched him in the chest, the complaint said. Baxin also damaged side mirrors of two passing vehicles, according to police.
First responders took Baxin to UPMC Mercy hospital. He was left a broken leg after being struck by a passing vehicle, said police, who did not provide further details.
Police said they identified Baxin through a Mexican ID card.
Baxin later told police, through an interpreter, that he stabbed the driver because “he felt that the ride was taking too long,” the complaint said. He also told police he thought the Lyft driver “was taking him somewhere” and he got scared.
Baxin’s attorney was not listed Tuesday in court records.
A spokesman from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment.