Eufelix Jiminian, 26, picked up the suspect just before 4 a.m. in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx two weeks ago.
"At first, I didn't think anything was going to happen, everything was going well, he wasn't rude to me, he didn't say much at all," Jiminian said.
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The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers says the rider refused to pay after the men got into an argument about the drop-off location.
That is when they say the rider jumped out of the moving vehicle and opened fire. The passenger side of the livery car was hit five times.
Now officials with the NYSFTD are calling for better protections for drivers.
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"Drivers MUST STOP picking up Masked Riders, if you can't see their face DO NOT pick them up," said NYSFTD spokesman Fernando Mateo.
There is now a $3,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.
"The New York State Federation recommends to all the drivers, to make sure they have a camera inside their vehicle, because if they don't have a camera, it's to difficult to recognize those guys," said federation president Antonio Cabrera.
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