SALT LAKE CITY — A tow truck driver said he feels lucky to be alive after being shot at multiple times in a terrifying encounter that ended in a police shootout on I-80 Sunday night.
The incident began near North Temple and Redwood Road in Salt Lake City. The driver had arrived to tow a vehicle parked in an unauthorized location when the car's owner showed up.
According to the driver, the man who owned the car initially seemed calm and even paid the $100 drop fee to retrieve his vehicle.
"He was just a normal guy," said the driver. "It was cool in the beginning."
But shortly after, the car owner returned and opened fire.
"I just heard the pow, pow pow," the driver recalled. "He fires another one, trying to aim at my face, but I duck again."
The driver, who asked not to be identified, said he was armed but chose not to draw his weapon.
"I know how that could look — me pulling out a gun, me trying to protect myself — and the next thing you know, I'm in jail. Lose my family," he said.
The 44-year-old suspect fired seven shots at the tow truck driver across two different locations, according to the driver.
I was scared of just losing a life over a private property impound.
–Tow truck driver
"It was a scary moment. I could have gotten hit. I've got kids," the driver said. "I was scared of just losing a life over a private property impound."
The situation escalated into a police pursuit and shootout along I-80. Officers eventually arrested the suspect, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
