An officer who was seriously injured when a taxi driver allegedly shot him in the head is suing the Alexandria Yellow Cab company, alleging negligent hiring. Kashif Bashir allegedly shot Alexandria police Officer Peter Laboy in the head as Laboy attempted a routine stop of Bashir’s taxi. Bashir was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and two counts of using a weapon in the commission of a felony. Bashir, who had been working for Alexandria Yellow Cab for four years, was wanted for acting in a “menacing and threatening manner,” according to the lawsuit. A gun and several cans of beer – some empty and some full – were found in Bashir’s cab after his arrest. The lawsuit alleges Alexandria Yellow Cab did not perform any type of “adequate or effective background screening prior to hiring Bashir” and other drivers, failing in ensuring public safety. Laboy is suing for $10 million total in damages for negligent hiring and negligent entrustment. Prior to the incident, Bashir had been convicted or charged with more than a dozen violations during the past few years.
