Seattle cabdriver shot in robbery try; suspect held

A Seattle cabdriver who fled the violence in the Sudan to come to the U.S. is recovering at Harborview Medical Center after being shot during a robbery attempt early Thursday.

Franzdag Eltahir, 36, picked up a fare from the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife about 1:30 a.m. and was driving him to the 100 block of Fifth Avenue Northwest in Puyallup when he was shot in the arm, leg and abdomen, police said. Little, if any, money was taken, police said.

Eltahir managed to call for help and described his attacker. Puyallup police arrested a suspect hiding in the bushes a few blocks away. The 31-year-old man was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery and first-degree assault.

Eltahir, a father of a 2-year-old son and a stepdaughter, has been driving for the Tacoma Yellow Cab for several years and is well-liked by his customers for his courtesy and reassuring manner, said Yellow Cab's operation manager Wilma Crane.

Several of Eltahir's customers have written letters praising him, including one from a Tacoma domestic-violence shelter asking that Eltahir always be the one who comes there to transport frightened victims of domestic assault.

Another customer wrote to thank Crane for Eltahir reassuring her and getting her to the airport on time when her prior arrangement fell through.

"He loves his job," Crane said. "I know there's violence there, but it's a shame that he comes here and this happens."

Eltahir, who is an independent contractor and works five to seven days a week at Yellow Cab, is part of a close family of drivers in the Tacoma office, Crane said. Others were waiting to hear the latest medical report. Earlier, doctors said it may take Eltahir up to a year to fully recover.

"We're all very concerned and hoping for the best for him," Crane said.

The shooting was a somber reminder of the risks of the job for many drivers.

A man convicted of fatally shooting a Seattle taxicab driver in the head and then setting the cab on fire last summer is scheduled to be sentenced today in King County Superior Court on aggravated-murder and arson charges.

Earnest Lenell Collins, 19, could spend life in prison without parole for the slaying of Jagjit Singh, a driver for Farwest Taxi who was fatally shot July 10. After the shooting, Singh's taxi was set ablaze in front of Collins' SeaTac home.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com