Rather than pay for his taxi ride, an illegal immigrant living in the Hudson Valley assaulted his driver with a knife.

In Putnam County Court, Manuel Estabon pleaded guilty to attempted assault, a class C felony.

On Feb. 11, Estabon entered a taxi and asked to be taken to La Frontera restaurant in Brewster. While driving along Route 22, around 2:45 am, he leaned over from the back seat and began to slash at the cab driver’s neck with a knife.

The taxi driver suffered wounds to the face, neck and hands, but survived. He was treated and released at Putnam Hospital.

Estabon is expected to be sentenced on August 1, to five years in state prison.

According to the Putnam County District Attorney's Office, Estabon currently has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold due to his status as an illegal immigrant. He will be deported following his prison sentence.

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