Tow Truck Hijack Thwarted by Rapid-Action Tow Truck Driver while On- Scene at DUI Arrest
CLAREMONT – Former Police Commissioner and current Council Member Ed Reece passed along a thwarted late-night vehicle-hijack attempt which began with a DUI stop. Three scofflaws presented law enforcement with a series of twists and turns.
First, on August 15th, near 10 PM, a vehicle stop on Indian Hill Boulevard south of Arrow Highway resulted in the driver’s arrest for DUI and a suspended license. The passenger also qualified for an arrest, while under a federal probation warrant – for human smuggling.
The flagrant law-violators were carted off to jail for booking. At this point is where the unanticipated reared its ugly head. As the two scofflaws were being transported out of the area at the same time that the tow truck driver began hauling their seized vehicle away, the situation morphed. Seemingly, out of nowhere, an unknown individual ran up behind the tow truck.
The suspect pointed his finger at the driver, with his hand and fingers shaped to symbolize a gun. “The suspect threatened to shoot the driver and any officer arriving back on scene,” said Reece. Just as “the suspect attempted to get into the tow truck,” the driver’s quick-thinking response resulted in the suspect being yanked out of the tow truck. “The suspect then reached into his waist band and stated that he was going to wait in the bushes for CPD to arrive – and shoot them.”
At this point, the truck-driver rapidly ran away. A call to Claremont PD Dispatch resulted in an immediate assist consisting of Claremont PD, Pomona PD, a K9, and an airship.
Multiple Officers swarmed the area by land and by air, however, they were unable to locate the suspect who’d managed to vanish out of the blue. “The suspect was described as a male, light-skinned Hispanic or Caucasian, 5’10”,” said Reece, “with short dark hair, wearing a light blue shirt and blue jeans.”
If you have any information to help identify this man on-the-run, you are urged to contact CPD at 909-399-5411.
