Tow truck driver shot on the job in Northwest Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- A tow truck driver was shot Thursday morning while working in Northwest Baltimore, police said.
Investigators believe the 36-year-old man was towing a vehicle in the 2900 block of Garrison Boulevard when he was shot.
According to neighbors, the tow truck driver was shot while trying to tow a car from an apartment complex. The driver rushed from the scene and slammed into a Baltimore Greatest City in America bench—and stopped at the nearby fire station for help. https://t.co/9K2ZVrGr95 @wjz pic.twitter.com/VqUL3xy2Pp
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) March 16, 2023
He went to a fire station on the 3900 block of Liberty Heights Avenue for help, which is where police responded.
Joseph Everett said the commotion startled him from his sleep. He looked outside and saw the driver trying to tow a car from the parking lot at his apartment complex on Garrison Boulevard and watched as he slammed into a bus bench while rushing away.
"He was driving really fast and just turned up the street and drove straight up Garrison," Everett said. "There's clearly a parking lot entrance and exit so I was kind of confused on why he would go through the grass."
A Baltimore tow truck driver rushed to a fire station after being shot while on the job. The latest on the investigation ahead at 5 and 6 on @wjz pic.twitter.com/h92XLgMxbp
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) March 16, 2023
Signs warn those who park in the lots there without proper authorization or a sticker that they will be towed.
The towing company declined to comment to WJZ.
Theodore Miller said he sees a tow truck driver monitoring the lots every day.
"He was doing his job—that's all he was doing—a regular tow truck driver who comes every day. Same guy every day," Miller said.
The fire station is about half a mile from the shooting scene and was itself the scene of a shooting in August 2015 when a firefighter was struck by random gunfire while on duty and standing outside.
Video from the scene on Thursday showed the tow truck with a red Camaro convertible still attached stopped in front of the fire station and surrounded by crime tape.
Miller said violence is never the answer to resolve disputes.
"Everybody's got a job to do, so that was his job. That's his life," he said. "It's sad, but people have to abide by the rules. Should have let them take the vehicle, paid the fee and got his vehicle back."
Police canvassed the apartment's parking lot Thursday afternoon. They told WJZ they are still working to determine the motive.
Anyone with tips can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.