His wife Tracy Adler said he purchased his own semi-truck in November 2020, and they are still waiting for estimates from the repair company and insurance company.
Truck driver Ahmed Shaaban and his family are getting an outpouring of support intervening in a high-speed police chase in California last week. Shaaban’s big rig truck, which he drove right into the path of the suspect’s car, resulting in a collision, suffered extensive damage but he “regrets nothing,” his wife Tracy Adler said.
“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,” Adler said in a post on the GoFundMe campaign.
They had only purchased the truck in November 2020, Adler said, and are still waiting on the insurance company to let them know if it will be covered. If not, they are anticipating high repair costs, and may even have to replace it entirely if the damage is deemed to have made the truck a total loss.
"I didn’t think he would hit me," Shaaban told Inside Edition. "Any normal person would see a semi-truck blocking his way and he would brake."
Shaaban, who is a father to four children, said he also hurt his knee in the collision.
“Our lives are on hold now due to this incident but Ahmed regrets nothing,” Adler wrote in the GoFundMe campaign. “God put him in the right place at the right time to be able to do what others weren’t.”
She explained that Shaaban had actually been driving around Los Angeles looking for a parking spot when he saw the police chase approaching. He then decided to drive straight into the fleeing car's path, blocking the escape route.
“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,” Adler said.
The driver of the car had been a person of interest in a murder case, and the police chase, which involved the pick-up truck reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour and swerving onto pedestrian sidewalks, started two hours prior in San Diego, about 120 miles away from where Shaaban intervened.
Michael Caleb Reed, 35, was arrested after the chase. California Highway Patrol confirmed that he is a murder suspect, according to KNBC. He is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. Inside Edition Digital has reached out to officials for more information on his charges.
Police were looking to speak to him in connection with the fatal shooting of Michael Lewis, 40, on March 28, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said. Lewis’ family have been vocal on social media, making allegations that Reed shot at a home Lewis was in, and Reed has commented on Facebook posts denying the family's murder accusations, KGET reported.
Lewis is a grandfather to a young girl and a father to four children, according to a GoFundMe page created to raise money for funeral expenses. He had been getting ready to ride dirt bikes with his family when he was killed, the post said.
This is the second police pursuit Reed had been involved in. The first occurred last year in Northern California, and ended with an injured officer who crashed his patrol car, KGET reported.
Reed has had several past arrests and has served time in prison for some of his previous offenses, according to the Kern County Superior Court.
