protests after a police officer was found not guilty in the shooting deaths of two unarmed suspects. the justice department now says it will review the case of officer michael brelow acquitted by a judge today and our affiliate kshb reports that police in missouri have killed james horn. he was wanted in the mur of his ex-girlfriend who was held captive in a box as well as her son. now back to caught on camera. in texas a tow truck driver and young father to be fears for his life. wondering if this is the end. january 24th, 2010. 21-year-old edward wiley makes his usual rounds just after midnight at an apartment complex in southeast houston. the company he works for is
he checks to see if anyone may be waiting inside to move it. no one is there. what he finds instead is a barking dog outside the pickup that seems to be protecting him. edward takes photos of the pickup to document it. that way he can submit both as evidence to support the $70 fine the driver must eventually pay to retrieve his vehicle. with apec jp truck that big, edward will need more time to remove it than he would towing a smaller car. edwards tow truck is big enough to handle the f-250, but because the ford is a rear wheel drive, its back wheels are locked in park, so edward can t tow the pickup very far with the back wheels picturesed in place, and with the tow lock four won t make it. first he will have to pull it out by its front wheels to a more open area of the lot and release it. then lift it again by its back
contracted to inspect the complex daily and remove any illegally parked vehicles. he has worked at red light wreckers tore two years. he enjoys the job and the steady paycheck, especially with a child on the way. company owner chris hoffmeister said edward is one of the company s best drivers at the time. he was a young gentleman, very energetic, very eager. at one point he worked at wal-mart. going from working at wal-mart and making minimum wage to being a tow truck driver which pays fairly well i would say he was very happy where he was at within the company. to help keep his drivers safe on the job hoffmeister outfits all his trucks with cameras. they re ready to cam tour any insz dents from four angles. as waeshd passes a fire lane he notices a ford f-250 pickup truck parked illegally.
at him and being experienced with him being here for so long actually saved his life. not just that, but in the rear, or in the back end of his driver s seat, there s actually two inches wide in that whole seat, and the bullet did hit that cross bar and ricocheted down. so with that bar being in place, i would say that also saved his life, right there. also, if edward had been just a few inches taller, a second bullet penetrating the passenger seat could have hit his head when he leaned over. unarmed, edward floors it and dials hoffmeister to report the incident. but now he s got another problem. because the wheels of his tow truck were pointing left when he hit the gas, he was forced into a dead end. to exit the complex, he must first circle past the place where the shooter tried to kill him moments earlier. luckily, the armed man has already fled the scene in the f-250.
edwards luck holds out. cameras that capture the entire incident, including the pickup license plate, help police identify the shooter and issue a warrant. unfortunately, the shooter stays one step ahead. police believe the man escapes across the mexican border. surviving this brush with death motivates edward to act on his long-held desire to become a stand-up comic. he actually was a pretty funny guy and he cracked jokes left and right, always had something smart to say. i m calling the cops on all y all drunk asses. edward right now, the last-known whereabouts about him, he was in california and he s fulfilling his desire to become an actor/comedian. so sometimes a very bad day can give us the push we need to leave a steady gig and embrace a dream. coming up, a different kind of towing drama.