FONACAB VIDEO OF A TAXI DRIVER HOLDING A PASSENGER AT GUN POINT

A Belfast taxi firm has terminated the employment of a driver over a video which shows him with a suspected firearm.

Police have said they are investigating the circumstances of the video.

In the video posted on social media, a driver for FonaCab points what appears to be a gun at another man in the front passenger seat of his car.

At one point the driver hits the other man in the face with it.

The footage appears to have been taken from a dashcam inside the taxi.

The BBC has identified the location in the background as a car park in Holywood, County Down.

In a statement, FonaCab told BBC News NI it was made aware of dashcam footage of an incident involving a FonaCab driver about 23:00 BST on 31 May.

“The driver was identified and called this morning to present at the earliest opportunity/ASAP to FonaCab Head Office, at which time he was interviewed and his relationship with FonaCab immediately terminated,” it said.

‘Called into disrepute’

A spokesperson for the Belfast taxi firm said it was liaising with the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and any further action would be determined by them.

“Our investigation was completed and our action taken before the footage was released on social media,” the firm said.

“Due to the nature of the content of the footage, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment on the footage while other investigations are undertaken.”

FonaCab added that its staff receive the same training and vetting as all taxi drivers in Northern Ireland and it expects them to maintain high standards.

“We do not tolerate incidents like this where safety is compromised, standards are not upheld, or the company and our drivers are called into disrepute.”

Police have said they are “aware of a video circulating online showing a man with a suspected firearm and have launched an investigation”.