He wasn't robbed of his earnings, just his peace of mind. That's what a Corpus Christi cab driver told us Thursday as he explained how a normal night on the job this past weekend turned into a real nightmare.

He sat down to speak with us about Sunday night's attack, and the help he's getting from a local business.

Fearful for his family's safety, 32 year old Ryan Benavides asked we not show his face on camera.

Benavides knows he's lucky to be alive. He'd only been driving a Green & Go cab since December. People trying to run out on their tab is nothing new, he say, but trying to skip out on a bill, by viciously attacking him with a knife, is nothing he thought he would ever experience.

He says Sunday, he came into work at 5pm. His shift was like any normal shift with about four pickups, until he picked up a man and a woman around 10:30, at a Stripes convenience store on Agnes. They had used a pay phone to call for a cab. He then dropped them off at Everhart and Snowgoose.

He explained how he expected to get his fare, but it didn't turn out that way.

"When he hit me, I pretty much knew immediately what had happened," said Benavides. He was stabbed in the neck with a knife.

"I couldn't exactly feel it right away but I could tell what happened, and that's when I turned to defend myself," he said.

Deep defense wounds are now on his right hand another one is on his forearm.

He told us he tried to chase after the couple, but began to re-think his actions as he got further away from his taxi.

He returned, pushed the emergency panic button, called 911 and wrapped his wounds. He was hospitalized until Monday evening.

He wishes now he could have had a concealed handgun permit.

"I appreciate that," he explained. "I definitely feel I'm a law abiding citizen. There's no reason why I shouldn't have something like that to protect myself in the first place."

Benavides says the local business Sharpshooter, heard about what happened to him and got him immediately into a class this weekend.

They're even giving him a bit of a discount. As for his attackers, they are still on the loose.

There's a limited description on the pair: a Hispanic man and woman.

Call crimestoppers at 888-tips if you have any information.