SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Diego semi-truck driver says he deliberately crashed into a pickup truck driven by a murder suspect, ending an hours-long police chase Tuesday night.
The harrowing pursuit that began in Temecula, ended up in Escondido, before winding through several other counties. Inside the pickup were a murder suspect and a passenger. The chase included near collisions, red-light running, wrong-way driving, and driving on sidewalks.
More than an hour into the chase, San Diegan Ahmed Shaaban caught a glimpse of it in Pomona. Shaaban, a semi driver, was in the area to pick up a load.
“I was on the phone with one of my friends. Saw him pass with 40 to 50 police cars behind,” said Shaaban.
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Shaaban learned from his friend about the murder suspect behind the wheel. Some 15 minutes later, Shaaban was at a red light. The truck had circled back to the area. It drove through a parking lot, before taking a left, right into the path of Shaaban.
Shaaban’s dashcam recording shows his big rig crawling forward at the light. Shaaban glanced to his right and decided he had to act.
“If he passed, I would have blocked all the cops, and he would have run. The second I heard his engine, I floored my truck, and I hit him,” said Shaaban. “Had to end it before he killed someone, or hit a car or hit a kid.”
Soon after the crash, the suspect was taken into custody. Shaaban, a father of three, believes his big rig, which he bought used five months ago for $75,000, is totaled.
“It’s my job. It’s how I make my money and support my family. My whole life depends on this truck,” said Shaaban.
Shaaban fears insurance won’t cover it, because he deliberately crashed the semi-truck. But it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.
“I would have done it again … somebody had to stop him. Ultimately, it’s a piece of metal, and I may have saved a life,” said Shaaban.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Shabaan buy a new big rig.
