Taxi Driver Took Gun Away From Taj Hotel Shooting Suspect

BOSTON (CBS) - It was the most nerve wracking encounter for a Boston cab driver. He had no idea when a passenger jumped in his car on Tuesday that police were looking for the same man who had just allegedly fired shots into the street near the posh Taj Hotel.

"I told him to give me the address and he just said 'drive, drive,'" said the cab driver who prefers not to be identified.

Making his way to Dorchester he drove down Storrow Drive, onto I-93 when he heard a deafening sound from the back seat that made him jump. "I hear an unbelievable noise. It sounded like an explosion."

Police say the passenger, 34-year-old Andrew Flack, randomly fired a shot at the bulletproof partition window. The driver pulled over and ran to the back, discovering the passenger had a gun.

"I jumped in the back and found the gun close to his feet. I took the gun and he ran from my cab."

The driver says it's become more dangerous on the job and he no longer opens the partition to talk with passengers. In this case he says he's thankful he didn't. "It was just kind of a reflex. Sometimes if you don't do something fast then forget it."

Flack faces multiple charges after police say he became belligerent and left the Taj hotel bar. Court documents say Flack tried to leave the hotel with a drink and when an employee tried to stop him he began arguing.

Police say moments later shots were fired. The cab driver says with the gun in hand he called 911 and alerted police to Flack's whereabouts. He was trying to hail another cab.

"I took the gun to make my life safe, that's it. It's hard to believe I was lucky."

In this case it wasn't luck but decisive action.