A Russian tourist was charged $149 for a 75-foot cab ride at JFK Airport — then whacked him in the face after he refused to pay, police sources said.
Vladimir Zakharov, 75, of Moscow, hopped into an unlicensed livery cab driven by Wayne Walker and asked for a ride to Terminal 2 on Friday at about 4 p.m., PAPD cops said.
When they rolled up, less than one minute later, the cabbie handed over the mile-high bill — charging the unlucky passenger a whopping $2 per foot.
Zakharov refused to pay, so Walker allegedly locked all of the doors, trapping him inside his Nissan Pathfinder SUV, police sources said.
Spooked, Zakharov tried to snatch the driver’s keys — prompting a scuffle in which the driver grabbed him by the shirt and hit him in the face, police sources said.
Moments later, the roughed-up Russian emerged from the cab with blood on his face and clothes, screaming for help, according to PAPD sources.
Walker, 41 — who doesn’t have a Taxi and Limousine Commission license — was arrested on multiple charges.
“These guys are like cockroaches. The public mistakenly thinks these people are just taxi drivers but they are predators. They target travelers leaving airport,” a police source said.
Livery cab drivers licenced by the TLC must follow rules that prevent price -gouging — but illegal hacks have nobody to answer to, a rep for the agency said.
“There are rules prohibiting overcharge for licensed livery drivers charging above the rates they have on file, just as there are rules for yellow and green cabbies charging above metered rates,” said TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg.
Legit livery drivers can chose whatever price the want to put on the on the books, knowing high prices may scare away customers, he said.
“It’s a competitive industry…If you choose ultra high-end service at a high-end price, fine! If price is more of a criteria, you can go with the competitively lowest priced provider! It’s all up to the consumer,” Fromberg said.
He added, “TLC-licensed livery operators cannot solicit rides, as this “hustler” allegedly did.”
Walker was charged with unlawful imprisonment, assault, and unlawful solicitation of ground transport, cops said.
He has a handful of prior violations for illegally picking up fares at the same airport, police sources said.
The victim, who speaks very little English, has since returned to Russia, cops said.