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Drunken passenger attacked driver, fled in cab: Cops

A man thought he was doing his drunken pal a favor when he put the guy in a yellow taxi and handed the cabby a wad of cash.

But instead of going home to bed, his blotto buddy had other plans.

He attacked the driver shortly into the ride and tossed him out — taking the wheel and leading cops on a wild, high-speed chase from Midtown to The Bronx, police sources told The Post Wednesday.

Suspect David Meck, 39, had nearly closed down the bars at 3 a.m. on June 11 when his friend cut him off and hailed the cab at Thompson and Bleecker streets.

Meck’s pal gave the cabby money and told him to take the wasted wingman home to Yonkers.

The taxi had made it only to 34th Street near Fifth Avenue when Meck suddenly punched the cabby in the back of the head, the police sources said.

He pulled the driver out of the car, got behind the wheel of the Crown Victoria and continued north, the sources said.

The cabby called police, who tracked the car via GPS.

Cops finally pulled the taxi over on the Henry Hudson Parkway at West 252nd Street in The Bronx, the sources said.

But Meck didn’t give up — allegedly leading cops on a brief foot chase along the side of the highway.

Meck, who later claimed he was too blackout drunk to remember anything, was charged with larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, resisting arrest and refusing to take a Breathalyzer.

He pleaded not guilty at his ­arraignment Wednesday and his bail was set at $30,000.

Meck has 17 prior arrests, including five DWIs in New York and ­Nevada, and four for allegedly resisting arrest.

He could not be reached for comment Wednesday and the name of his Legal Aid attorney was not clear.

In February, a man allegedly stole a taxi in Chelsea because the driver wouldn’t let him sit up front.

Two months later, cops arrested a 26-year-old who went “surfing” on the side of a cab for eight miles in an ­effort to carjack the vehicle.

Additional reporting by Antonio Antenucci, Rebecca Harshbarger and Natalie O’Neill