Police hope high-quality security footage will help them nab a man and a woman who attacked a taxi driver, stabbing him in the head and stealing his vehicle in Melbourne today.
The male attacker stole the taxi and drove it less than a kilometre before crashing it into two other cabs.
The 29-year-old cabbie escaped before the vehicle was stolen.
He was taken to hospital with lacerations to his head and hand that required stitches, but has been discharged.
The couple hailed the taxi outside a pub on the corner of Brunswick Street and Alexandra Parade in inner-suburban Fitzroy about 2.25am (AEDT), Yarra Criminal Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Matt Graefe told reporters.
"The security camera vision is of good quality and both the male and female are recognisable from that footage," he said.
"Investigators are hoping that there are people out there that will recognise both the male and female from the footage that is released."
Det Snr Const Graefe said the man told the driver the pair wanted to be driven to an address in Sunshine, in Melbourne's west.
The cabbie entered the details on his Global Positioning System but the address appeared to not exist.
The man then attacked the cabbie with a small pocket knife.
"For no reason he has stabbed a taxi driver just earning a living on at least three occasions," he said.
"At this stage we don't believe any demand was made.
"The male taxi driver got out of the vehicle, the male offender has driven off south down Brunswick Street, hit a number of parked cars (with people in them) and damaged those and the taxi."
The pair got out of the taxi near the intersection of Gertrude and Brunswick streets and ran off in an unknown direction.
"We believe they intended to steal the taxi. We don't know why at this stage, but certainly no demand for cash was made," Det Snr Const Graefe said.
"We would like them to hand themselves in to the nearest police station.
"The taxi driver was obviously distraught but was assisted by people that were nearby ... One particular person was very helpful towards assisting the taxi driver and they have conveyed information to us."
The taxi did not have a protective shield.
The attacker is described as being of Caucasian appearance, in his mid to late-20s, and was wearing a baseball cap and a tracksuit top.
The woman was also of Caucasian appearance, in her early 20s and wore a hooded top with a bandanna underneath.
