A fight between a Manhattan Uber driver and a cabbie exploded into a bizarre roadside attraction — complete with an umbrella used as weapon — in the middle of morning rush hour Tuesday, cops and witnesses said.
The Uber driver, Mauro Cabrera, 55, got so angry at a 37-year-old cab driver for swiping his passengers, he allegedly snatched an umbrella out of his hands on West Side Highway near 49th Street at 9:25 a.m., according to police and witnesses.
The cab driver whipped out a key and tried to use it to defend himself — but Cabrera allegedly whacked him over the head with the umbrella until it broke, cops and witnesses said.
“I saw two guys fighting over passengers. One had an umbrella and one had keys. And the guys starting hitting each other,” said Juan G., 41, a New York city taxi driver.
A Queens mechanic also spotted the slapstick brawl, which unfolded in the pouring rain. “One of the guys had an umbrella and the other one was trying to defend [himself.] Probably some bruises but no one badly hurt,” said Mikey H., 33.
Commuters and tourists from a cruise ship, which had docked nearby, stopped to stare at the big city brawl, witnesses said.
Cabrera was arrested and charged with assault, according to police.
The cabbie, who was driving a black vehicle, may have been operating it illegally, an anonymous FDNY officer said at the scene.
The cab driver was not arrested, police said. It’s unclear whether he suffered serious injuries.
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