Illegal hacks are literally fighting back against a city crackdown — by viciously attacking TLC officers, agency sources told The Post.
Taxi and Limousine Commission officers relayed frightening tales about being bitten, punched, having guns pulled on them — and even being followed home by the out-of-control drivers.
“We’re in jeopardy. They know who we are. Everything is escalating,” said one source. “Their common enemy is the TLC. They used to fight over fares before, now they’re organizing.”
Unlike other peace officers such as MTA Bridge and Tunnel cops, the TLC inspectors don’t have guns or even tasers.
Instead, they perform unarmed car stops all day in rough-and-tumble neighborhoods.
Sources said even an NYPD officer was dragged by an illegal driver this year on Flatbush Avenue while working with TLC inspectors.
Dramatic YouTube videos have documented the violence, which included an irate mob in Crown Heights descending on officers and a driver scratching TLC agents in the arm and neck.
Some are calling for the agency officers to be given guns or tasers.
“We don’t want to wait until a body hits the streets for [the TLC] to arm them,” said Randy Klein, assistant director of Teamsters Local 237, which represents the officers.
The TLC says assaults on its agents have been flat, with 12 in 2012, 15 in 2013 and 6 so far this year.
But many whistleblowers told The Post that is hard to find out how many officers have been assaulted — because the TLC tries to reclassify them as accidents.
Officers can get up to 18 months off if they are assaulted but only three months if it’s an accident, according to their contract.
Monica McKay, 40, a former TLC officer said an illegal driver deliberately ran over her foot but the agency recorded the incident as an accident.
“We are attacked by the drivers,” she said. “We have no weapons. They are getting worse.”
A TLC spokesman said any credible allegations about officers’ safety are investigated.
“TLC inspectors do an essential, difficult and sometimes dangerous job, protecting public safety,” said agency rep Allan Fromberg.
“They receive excellent training, which intensively prepares them for the breadth of experiences they face in the field, and they are appropriately equipped for the challenges face.”
The backlash comes as the agency has been under fire for bogus seizures resulting from pressure from agency brass.
More than 9,600 cars were seized last year— almost 70 percent more than the previous year.
“Seizing more means interacting more with angry people,” said Derek Jackson, an assistant director at Local 237. “They will try to escape and fight back. They will try and flee.”
The TLC has claimed the jump is from a new towing contract that frees up inspectors for enforcement, as well as an overall increase in the number of officers.
Officers recently sent a letter to the TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi detailing their abuse on the streets.
“How long will management roll the dice before one of us is either fatally stabbed because we are unarmed and essentially unprotected?” they wrote.