A London man hopped in a cab to protect himself from a group of assailants who smashed through a window, stabbing him repeatedly ... with a dashcam capturing it all.
Shocking video -- currently circulating on social media -- shows the terrifying attack ... kicking off when a cab carrying several passengers arrives in East London in the early morning hours last month.
Watch the video ... the London cabbie's dropping off three guys, speaking excitedly with one of them -- a totally relaxed, normal end to their ride that quickly turns harrowing.
The doors close, but a car pulls up just behind the cab with men jumping out and chasing the cab passengers while the driver tries to speedily leave the area.
One of the men who jumped out of the cab wrenches the door open, lands in the backseat and screams at the driver, begging him to floor it ... when one of his attackers smashes the driver's side window, shattering it.
The men then reach through the windows and doors, stabbing at the passenger with sharp objects ... small pools of blood collect on his shirt as he fends them off with what looks like a knife in his right hand.
He screams "Drive, Uncle!!" while fending off blows until the driver finally puts the pedal to the metal ... the passenger is stabbed multiple times before they finally escape.
The passenger stuffs money into the driver's hand and tells him to drive fast ... while his assailants chase them down in a white BMW. Eventually, they turn down a side street and the cab's able to lose the perps.
The Metropolitan Police tell TMZ ... the stabbing occurred just after 5 AM June 23, with the passenger reporting the attack on the way to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. The investigation remains ongoing.