A shooting outside an Astoria nightclub early Friday morning has left a cab driver fighting for his life in Elmhurst Hospital. 

It was about 4:40AM in front of local nightclub Club Purlieu on 36-04 34th St when the victim – 37-year-old Robert Castillo – dropped off four male passengers he had picked up in The Bronx earlier that evening. 

The victim waited outside the premise until the four males exited the club a short while later in what could be seen as a dispute with unidentified individuals. 

The argument soon escalated into a frenzy as one man ran up to the vehicle which the four males were now in and opened fire, with a shot striking the cab driver in the back of the head. 

According to police, the cab driver quickly began driving down the block before crashing into several vehicles. 

The officers from the 114th Precinct, along with the EMS units were quick to respond, and paramedics rushed the victim to Elmhurst Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. 

The four males are being interviewed by detectives. The SUV which Castillo was driving did not have TLC plates and Castillo himself was not a registered livery driver, according to New York Daily News. 

The victim was for the past month working for a Bronx car service, according to Fernando Mateo of New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. 

This isn't the first the that Club Purlieu made the news. New York Daily News stated that, three individuals were slashed in the club during a brawl on March 6th 2015 when Houstan-based rapper Chedda Da Connect was performing.