French Montana helps cab driver after his taxi was vandalized following Knicks win

“CBS Mornings” exclusively revealed music superstar French Montana presented a NYC cab driver with a $75,000 check and said he would cover one year of of living expenses after the man said he was assaulted and his taxi was vandalized during celebrations following the New York Knicks’ Game 4 victory in the NBA Finals.

Last week, a group of people swarmed Noureddine Bitat’s taxi, stomping on it and smashing its windshield. After video of the incident went viral, there were calls to help Bitat. French Montana felt compelled to step in. 

“I just saw a man trying to feed his family,” the “Unforgettable” rapper told “CBS Mornings” on Thursday. 

The video also “hit a nerve” for the rapper, whose family moved from Morocco to the U.S. when he was 13 years old. His father embarked on a number of business ventures, including working as a taxi driver, after the family settled in New York City. 

French Montana sent the story to YouTuber Zachery Dereniowski. They partnered with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance to organize a GoFundMe for Bitat. In a matter of days, the effort nearly reached its goal of $75,000. More than 2,000 people donated, according to the site. 

“I want to give a shoutout to my brother, Zach … he got a big platform, because me and him came together to do it. I’m going to give a shoutout to the taxi union, GoFundMe and all the people that came together to make this man’s life easy,” French Montana told “CBS Mornings.”

French Montana said he had an opportunity to speak with Bitat, who is from Algeria. During their conversation, Bitat said he doesn’t want to drive a taxi anymore. The singer said he will assist Batit with his living expenses “until he figures out what he wants to do.” 

The taxi driver was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, French Montana said. 

“I asked him ‘does he even watch the Knicks?’ He said, ‘I don’t even know what the Knicks is.’ He just happened to be working around the place, and you know, things unfortunately happened to him. He doesn’t deserve it,” the Grammy-nominated artist said. “So we all came together to help.”