Police arrested three men some 10 minutes after they allegedly stabbed a taxi driver to death in a robbery at Luohu, the Daily Sunshine reported Sunday.

The three men allegedly took a taxi at midnight Friday near the Shenzhen Railway Station and threatened the driver with knives demanding money. The driver, Deng, tried to fight back but was stabbed twice in the back.

The injured Deng struggled to get out of the cab to get help while the three men fled.

Police on patrol rushed to the scene and captured the suspects in a nearby residential area with the help of 40 security guards after a search lasting no more than 10 minutes.

Deng was found to be dead when an ambulance arrived.

Hundreds of taxi drivers dashed to the scene to help search for the alleged killers, causing a one-kilometer traffic jam.

According to his father, also a taxi driver, Deng, 22, had been always courageous and honest.

The three alleged killers, all in their 30s, are from Central China's Henan and Anhui provinces.

Investigations are continuing.

(Shenzhen Daily November 3, 2003)