Driver convicted of slashing passenger

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A former taxi driver was convicted of second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, after an incident involving a passenger almost exactly one year ago.

The Erie County District Attorney’s Office says 30-year-old Hadid Askia drove his passenger to his destination, and then slashed him across the face with a steak knife several times. The DA’s office says the unprovoked attack was in retaliation for a 2004 incident.

Askia was on federal probation due to a weapons possession conviction. Askia faces a maximum prison term of seven years when he is sentenced in November.