Tower Shot - 03.25.22 (IN) "Updated 05.10.22"

[TowNews]

Man shot tow truck driver on I-70 in Hendrick’s Co. before stealing truck

 

 

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. — A tow-truck driver is in critical condition after being shot by a man whose vehicle broke down on I-70 in Hendricks County, according to Indiana State Police.

 

At about 10:15 a.m. Friday, authorities were called to I-70 eastbound near the rest park at the 64 mile marker.

 

Officers arrived to find a man suffering from an least one gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

 

ISP said the shooting happened after a man had a possible mechanical issue with his vehicle and pulled to the shoulder of the interstate near the rest park. When a tow truck arrived to assist, the man fired multiple shots at the tow truck driver, then got in the tow truck and drove away, per state police.

 

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Police found the man in the tow truck a short time later and apprehended him. Investigators discovered the man’s 4-year-old child was also in the tow truck.

 

Authorities have not yet released the identity of the shooter.

 

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

 

 

This Rest Area is located Southwest of Indianapolis, Indiana

 

 

Curtis Garage and Wrecker Service wrote:

March 26, 2022

I’m sitting here thinking about what to write in this post and how to put into words the events of yesterday. It’s very surreal and should have never happened but unfortunately it did. I pray for the safety of our employees often but never would I have ever thought that would mean one of them would be a victim of a senseless crime.

 

 

Our driver, Matt Roberts, was assisting a stranded motorist when he was shot 5 times. I can’t give further details about this part of the story due to the ongoing investigation. It will all come out eventually.

 

What I can say is that our mighty Lord had his hand on Matt. So much proof of this in the way things happened and the fact that he is still with us. He’s a strong man and we have an even stronger God.

 

I cannot express enough how much we appreciate all of your prayers, calls, offers to help us. We are extremely blessed to know such kind and thoughtful people.

 

I ask that you continue to pray for Matt and his entire family. They are all amazing people with strong faith.

Matt is loved by all of us at our company. We are like family. He is a very hard working man with incredible work ethic. He’s a jokester and he makes our company better by being a part of it. If you know him at all you know what I’m saying is true.

 

When he surprised me this morning and called me I cannot express the joy, relief and genuine thankfulness that I felt in that moment because yesterday morning I wasn’t sure if I’d ever hear his voice again. The tears I cried today were happy tears, unlike those of yesterday.

 

I’m not sure what kind or how long a recovery he’s going to have but we will all get him through this. He’s got amazing support from his family and will have from his work family too.

 

Matt has had excellent care by the physicians and nurses and staff at the hospital and we can’t thank them enough either. We can’t thank all of you enough.

 

I’ll just simply ask you again to please pray for Matt, his wife, his children and the rest of his family. We may not know what lies ahead but we do know we will get through this.

 

We love you, Moose, and we can’t wait to hug you again!

Thank you, Jesus!

[TowZone]

 

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. — A tow-truck driver is in critical condition after being shot by a man whose vehicle broke down on I-70 in Hendricks County, according to Indiana State Police.

 

At about 10:15 a.m. Friday, authorities were called to I-70 eastbound near the rest park at the 64 mile marker. Officers arrived to find a man who had been shot. He was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

 

“It’s very disconcerting that something like this happened, in broad daylight no less,” said Captain Ron Galaviz, chief public information officer for ISP.

 

ISP said the shooting happened after a man had a possible mechanical issue with his vehicle and pulled to the shoulder of the interstate near the rest park.

 

It was after the tow truck driver arrived to assist, that state police said the driver fired shots at him.

 

“When a tow truck arrived to assist, the individual that was in the broken-down vehicle, fired multiple shots at the tow truck driver, striking him,” Galaviz said. “The shooter then went back to his vehicle, grabbed the 4-year-old child that was inside of that vehicle, they both got into the tow truck and drove away.”

 

According to police, the man in the tow truck was located a short time later and apprehended. Investigators also found the man’s 4-year-old child in the truck.

 

“There have been a number of shootings over the last couple of years. We have been very fortunate here of late that we’ve actually been able to, within a very short period of time, make a couple of arrests,” Galaviz said.

 

The identity of the shooter has not yet been released by authorities and an update has not been provided on the condition of the victim.

 

Tow truck drivers are often on busy roadways and in some cases, in unsafe locations while responding to calls for assistance from motorists, that’s why experts said much of the training they do revolves around safety and move over laws.

 

Still, there isn’t quite a manual that prepares for a situation like this, said Bart Giesler, Executive Director of the Indiana Towing & Wrecker Association.

 

“I’m not aware of anybody giving specific training for this, no different than I’m assuming a plumbing company doesn’t train their members for a tragedy like this,” said Giesler.

 

Giesler said, at the end of the day, it’s simple. Tow truck drivers want to help others, while doing the job as safely as possible.

 

“We just want our members and employees to be able to make it home safe to their families,” said Giesler.

 

Often times, tow truck operators are the first to arrive on scene when a vehicle breaks down or a person is experiencing a mechanical issue.

 

“I think there’s that frustration and a lot of times we may be the first person that we see after the accident,” said Giesler.

 

“The unfortunate reality of the world we live in is, you just don’t know. Whether it’s an Uber driver or somebody out going and providing a service, you know, going out and trying to assist someone,” he said. “That’s typically the last thing that anyone would ever think about. You’re going to help them.”

 

Giesler wasn’t able to comment on this incident, but said he is thinking of the tow truck driver injured in Friday’s shooting.

 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the driver and his family,” said Giesler.

 

An investigation into the incident is ongoing. ISP said detectives are working with the Hendrick’s County Prosecutor’s Office to determine charges against the suspect.

 

Resource Link

[Moose]

Our Thought's and Prayers are with the Tow Truck Operator for a speedy recovery.

 

I saw on Twitter where the Tow Truck Driver was shot 5 times and will likely survive.

[5towman]

Very scary. Tow truck driver just doing his job, not looking for trouble, and gets shot trying to help someone. Not good. Thoughts and prayers. 

[Old Tow]

What a sad situation, we never know do we. I have been in the towing business for over 60 years and have never even thought about something like this happening. What in the world is wrong at this time with humanity? Our thoughts and prayers to the drivers family and himself included. Hang tough driver !

[TowNews]

 

 

[rreschran]

In May, 2002, Southern California Freeway Service Patrol tower, Brian Naylor, stopped just outside of Camp Pendleton (Marines Corps base) to check on a car stopped on the highway. Unprovoked, the motorist opened fire on Brian shooting him multiple times. A marine passerby witnessed the shooting and stopped to heroically carry the wounded tower to safety. The shooter crossed highway lanes and jumped the fence onto the base. Just so happens that police officers from the Oceanside Police Department and Escondido Police Department were on-base training. They responded, located the shooter and killed him in a hail of bullets. Brian survived his injuries.  

 

The world is on-edge and even the slightest thing will set individual's off. Your road to survival is not to provoke, challenge or otherwise taunt anyone. Let your ego aside where sometimes ignoring the inciter is the best response. Don't allow yourself tom get caught-up in these camera fools who are there to bait you into a negative response ... one that is followed with a lawsuit. Once you respond to their threats or conversation, they've dragged you into something you may regret.

[TowZone]

INDIANAPOLIS AREA CRIME - ‘I will kill you right here’:

Court docs shed light into shooting of tow truck driver along I-70

 

 

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. – Court documents reveal more about the events leading to the shooting of a tow truck driver along I-70 in Hendricks County, with the victim saying the accused shooter exhibited odd behavior during the encounter.

 

This week, Joseph Jackson, 22, of Raytown, Missouri, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, neglect of a dependent, carrying a handgun without a license and conversion (theft of the tow truck) in connection with the March 25 incident.

 

Around 10:15 a.m. Friday, authorities were called to I-70 eastbound near the rest park at the 64-mile marker. Officers found a man had been shot. They later learned he was a tow truck driver who’d responded to help Jackson, a stranded driver whose car had a flat tire. Jackson had shot the other man, police said.

 

A 4-year-old child was with Jackson, who got into the tow truck driver’s rig and took off. When police found the tow truck—Jackson’s car still on the flatbed—it was on I-70 westbound near State Road 267. Police initiated a traffic stop and pulled him over. They found a handgun in the truck as well as the 4-year-old child.

 

 

The probable cause affidavit sheds some light on the incident, with the tow truck driver indicating signs of strange behavior from Jackson and police expressing skepticism about Jackson’s account.

 

During an interview, Jackson told police he didn’t want to talk to them but said he did want to explain what happened. According to his account, he feared for his daughter’s safety after the tow truck driver arrived and accused him of making inappropriate comments toward the girl. Jackson then expressed concern that the officers standing near him during the interview would hurt him. He pleaded with officers not to hurt his daughter; officers assured him the girl was safe.

 

Of the shooting incident, Jackson said he wanted the driver to take him to a Greyhound bus station, which he claimed the driver told him wasn’t possible. Jackson then claimed he asked the driver to unhook his vehicle, to which the driver declined.

 

 

Jackson told police the driver made “comments” about his young daughter that made him uncomfortable and claimed the man “tried to hurt my family.” He said the driver then took off running and he shot him. Police appeared to express skepticism about Jackson’s account, questioning why the driver would run away when he’d arrived to help.

 

Jackson recalled firing two or three shots, according to court documents. He acknowledged the driver “might be hurt” after the incident and later uttered, “I did not mean to hurt him.”

 

After the shooting, Jackson told investigators he tried to call the police, but his first call didn’t go through.

 

Police said Jackson’s daughter was forensically interviewed about the incident, although she “did not disclose anything” that would help the case.

 

On Saturday, police interviewed Matthew Roberts, the tow truck driver who’d been shot. Roberts, who talked to investigators from his hospital room, said he’d responded to the rest area to help a driver whose car had broken down. He wanted Jackson and his daughter to sit in the tow truck for their own safety while he loaded the disabled car onto his flatbed.

 

After the car was loaded, Roberts saw the little girl sitting in the tow truck. He recalled saying “good morning sweetie” to the girl or something of that nature. Jackson then, according to court documents, advised the driver that his daughter had a name and he should call her by that. Roberts said he apologized.

 

Once they were in the tow truck, Roberts told Jackson he planned to pull into the rest park so they could discuss payment and decide what they were doing with the car. To Roberts’ recollection, Jackson wanted to go to a Greyhound bus station with “no funny business.”

 

Roberts then noticed a “behavior change” in Jackson, according to court documents, saying he was “acting strange.” By Roberts’ account, Jackson said, “I will kill you right here.”

 

When Roberts told Jackson he had a family, Jackson replied, “I don’t give a [expletive],” according to court documents. Jackson pulled out his gun; Roberts exited the truck and was hit in the left forearm. He told police he believed he was shot five times and ended up lying on the ground.

 

Roberts recalled seeing Jackson sitting in the truck cab with his gun pointed at him. Jackson then got out of the vehicle and tried to operate the bed of the truck but was unable to, got back into the truck and drove off, Roberts told police.

 

According to court documents, Roberts believed “Jackson was not acting right and seemed to have already made his mind up where he wanted to go and do.”

 

Roberts is recovering from his wounds. Police said doctors were able to extract one bullet during surgery, which has been put into evidence.

 

A Facebook post indicated Roberts works for Curtis Garage and Wrecker Service. The company called the shooting “surreal” and said it has received an outpouring of support for Roberts and his family.

 

[TowZone]

 

[yoBdaBenO]

Thanks for keeping us updated.....

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[yoBdaBenO]

Thanks for the Updates.