Trucker goes above and beyond the call of duty

April 14, 2021

Land Line Staff

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Thankfully for everyone involved, Ahmed Shaaban was in the right place at the right time.

A truck driver from California, Shaaban was on his way to pick up a load in the Pomona, Calif., area when a murder suspect led police on a chase across Riverside County and to the East San Gabriel area reaching speeds over 90 mph, according to a report by KTTV in Los Angeles.

For obvious reasons, a professional driver will do any and everything to avoid a collision, but Shaaban knew he had to do – something.

“I have a big truck and can block the intersection,” Shaaban told Scott Thompson, Land Line Now senior correspondent, during an April phone interview. “This was the whole idea. I wasn’t thinking he was going to hit me. I had to stop him, the way he was driving he was going to hurt someone.”

Shaaban was informed of the chase by a friend he was on the phone with and actually saw the speeding vehicles pass once. The suspect circled the area and headed back in his direction about 10 minutes later, according to Shaaban.

At this point, Shaaban began to strategize what he could do to help.

“I saw him pass by once and approach again in my rearview mirror,” Shaaban said. “Cops were surrounding the whole intersection. When he turned on the street I was on, I decided to block the whole thing (intersection). I told my friend, ‘hold on, I’m going to get this guy.’

Shaaban’s plan worked, as the suspect was unable to maneuver around his truck, colliding with it. The scene turned understandably chaotic at this point, but Shaaban kept his composure as he exited his vehicle.

“I walk slowly I guess,” Shaaban told Thompson of his demeanor in the video footage. “Everyone was yelling, “Run, run, run,” but I was just calm. They (police) were very supportive and let me know they had my back. When it happened, there was nothing they could do other than say thank you.”

Shaaban credits his instinct to help to his time on the road.

“I help people out all the time,” he told Thompson. “Just last week in Colorado I put out a fire on an RV. When you drive as much as I do, you see so much. It just teaches you to react. You don’t think, because if you stop and think you are not going to act. I’m not the only trucker. There are a lot of people who will do stuff like this.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for damages to Shaaban’s truck, which he dedicated to his mother. It is unclear what insurance will cover due to the nature of the collision. LL