Mark Lamont has had many frightening experiences during the 15 years he has worked as a taxi driver, but one which he is unable to erase from his memory is the night two Caucasian men, he believed to be homosexuals, tried to kidnap him.

Lamont said he was hired by one of the men to go to an address in upper St Andrew after midnight. He said on reaching the destination and awaiting the passenger to exit the vehicle, two men approached the car and tried to open the driver’s door. According to Lamont, one of the men was dressed in female clothes.

Forty-three-year-old Lamont, who plies the downtown Kingston to Barbican, St Andrew, route, said he instantly knew something was wrong so he reversed the car and drove to a next section of the road to let the passenger out.

“Two other white guy was there [and] dem a try pull off a stunt, you know. Me drive off now to turn. By the time mi stop, one big, thick one bend down and seh ‘Rasta’ an’ a look inna mi face. Him a pull mi door, but mi see the sikes when him a try hold mi,” Lamont said.

“Him strong, ennuh, if him did hold mi, ennuh mi would have to beg God help. Mi slam the door lock and by the time him fi open the door mi just [press] gas again and the door slip outta him hand and mi drive go down one little distance.”

Not being one to let a passenger leave without paying, Lamont turned to the man and demanded his fare.

“By the time mi start talk to him one mind seh check the mirror again, a di bwoy dem that a screechy a come back pan the car again. Because dem si the car stop dem think dem can get mi now,” said Lamont..

Driven by fear, Lamont said he shouted to the men, asking them what they wanted, but there was no answer. Instead, they made a beeline to his door and tried, again, to pull him from the car.

“At that time the other passenger was outside. Dem a try fi hold mi fi have dem way. It was Independence morning about one o’clock, so them wah tek away my independence,” declared Lamont.

He said he was able to fight the men off and drive away.

In hindsight, Lamont said he believes the man who initially chartered his taxi tried to set him up.

“Why dem woulda outside a wait on me?” Lamont questioned before recounting another scary experience months before his run-in with the suspected homosexuals.

On that occasion, he said, two male passengers tried to rob him at gunpoint.

“They said they were going to Half-Way-Tree but while I was on Washington Boulevard they said they wanted a stop. When mi look in the rear-view mirror, mi see a gun pointed at my head back. So mi just start floor the gas pedal, I didn’t stop because if mi stop they would’ve tried to rob me,” Lamont said.

According to Lamont the car crashed into a wall and he was able to exit the vehicle before the robbers.

“When the car crash, fi dem door couldn’t open so dem couldn’t come out of the car before me. Mi jump out and leave dem. By the time dem come out, dem a run behind me with them gun and dem cyaa fire no shot because the gun stick. God made the gun stick,” declared Lamont.

“Same time police come on the spot and mi stop the [police] car and tell dem say dem boy deh a try rob mi and mi have to crash the car down the road, because a good distance mi run, enuh. The police dem start chase dem and fire shot inna di air. Then now, dem (the robbers) mussi select the gun and it start fire; one piece a shoot-out. It’s like Father God seh mi nuffi dead,” added Lamont who noted that the gunmen escaped the police.

Name: Mark Lamont

Age: 43 years old

Length of career: 15 years

Route: Downtown Kingston to Barbican