Connecticut prosecutors will not pursue charges against a top Morgan Stanley banker accused of stabbing a cabby in a drunken, racist rage over a fare from Manhattan, the cabby’s lawyer said today.
W. Bryan Jennings of the ritzy Gold Coast town of Darien was originally charged with assault, theft of service, and intimidation based on race or bigotry after the December 2011 incident.
But Hassan Ahmad, the lawyer for cabby Mohamed Ammar, said Stamford prosecutors told him they’re dropping the case.
“Mr. Ammar is outraged by the prosecutor’s decision and continues to demand justice. He was anxiously awaiting trial this month and had no indication that the prosecutor would take such a drastic turn nearly a year after this crime was committed and within days of the trial,” Ahmad said in a statement.
Eugene Riccio, Jennings’ lawyer, would not comment, and the Stamford state’s attorney’s office could not be reached.
A hearing in the case was scheduled in Stamford Superior Court for this Monday.
The Egyptian-born Ammar claimed the banker yelled, “Go back to your own f–king country . . . I’m going to kill you, motherf—-r!” before stabbing him with a penknife.
But Jennings insisted that he was the real victim — and that Ammar was trying to kidnap him from the driveway of his multimillion-dollar home when they argued over the fare.
Ammar told cops that he picked up a drunken Jennings in Midtown and was asked to drive him to Darien, 43 miles away.
Ammar said he and Jennings agreed to a $204 fare recommended in a book that hacks use to determine out-of-town fares.
But Jennings, who slept most of the ride, allegedly freaked out when they arrived in the early hours of Dec. 22 and Ammar asked for that amount.
The married dad of two allegedly refused to pay, then offered just $50 to Ammar, who drove off to find a cop in town to settle the dispute.