A 32-year-old Chicago man who allegedly hit his cab driver in the face and stiffed him out of a $150 fare after they arrived in Orland Park is scheduled to appear in court March 26.

Police investigating a stopped southbound cab on Harlem Avenue north of 159th Street around 1:45 p.m. Feb. 5 reportedly encountered the passenger, of the 3000 block of West Pope John Paul II Drive, sitting next to the cab driver, whose glasses were broken and who had a scratched and slightly swollen face.

The driver told police the passenger hailed him at Halsted and Addison streets in the Lakeview neighborhood, asking to go to Orland Park. The man, he said, climbed through the safety barrier into the front seat while the cab was on the expressway.

The passenger was initially well-behaved, but never provided a specific address, the driver said.

The driver said the man went “out of control” in Orland Park when his conflicting directions failed to bring them to his destination. The driver said the passenger smashed his glasses into his face, knocking a lens out.

Police charged the man with battery, but reportedly told him he could avoid a theft-of-services charge by paying the driver. They added the second charge after he refused, saying he’d already paid.