A truck driver now considered a hero is receiving help from the community as he works to fix the rig he sacrificed to stop a police chase.
Ahmed Shaaban was just looking for somewhere to park for the day near Los Angeles when he noticed a car being pursued by police coming straight at him. In a split second, Shaaban knew he had to lend a hand, so he maneuvered his rig in front of the fleeing vehicle, forcing it to come to a stop and allowing police to apprehend the suspect.
35-year-old Michael Caleb Reed is now in custody and is the main suspect in the murder of 40-year-old Michael Lewis, but the ordeal isn’t over yet – Shaaban is still looking for a way to recover from the damage his good deed did to his truck and his business.
Shaaban purchased his truck in November of 2020 and uses it to operate his own trucking business and provide for his family. Now that the rig is out of commission, Shaaban and his wife Tracy are looking for new ways to provide for their family’s needs, and even pay for Shaaban’s injured knee, which was hurt in the incident.
“This truck and company is our family’s lifeline so we are praying to be back in business sooner rather than later since the bills are starting to roll in,” Tracy said on the family’s GoFundMe page.
The family is still waiting to see if their insurance will cover the extensive repairs, but Shaaban says that, no matter what, he “regrets nothing.”
Meet the hero truck driver #AhmedShabaan who stopped a police pursuit last night WITH HIS BIG RIG. But his vehicle sustained massive damage and he injured his knee. Watch my report on @InsideEdition and here’s his @gofundme https://t.co/I0Lg0Jn7QA pic.twitter.com/bAg07WeOnr
— Lisa Guerrero 💃🏽 (@4lisaguerrero) April 8, 2021
“Our lives are on hold now due to this incident but Ahmed regrets nothing,” Tracy wrote.
“He took it upon himself to attempt to block the suspect with no idea that the truck would actually plow right into our personal truck. God put him in the right place at the right time to be able to do what others weren’t.”
“I didn’t think he would hit me,” Shaaban said to Inside Edition. “Any normal person would see a semi-truck blocking his way and he would brake.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Shaaban’s GoFundMe had surpassed its goal of $65,000 and has received more than $80,000 in donations. The family is still awaiting a response from the insurance company.