It was like a scene in the movies.
Police cars on the go, sirens wailing to warn vehicles that they are on a hot pursuit operation.
News crew rolling their cameras on what seemed to be the biggest scoop of the day.
It was like a movie scene, but it was not; it was reality.
While this is all a bit of suspense in the movies, it meant life and death when it happened in real life.
The chase started from San Diego to Riverside and ended in LA County, and it could have gone forever if not for a concerned citizen who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Suspect on the Loose
Authorities were on a high-speed chase after Michael Caleb Reed tried to escape arrest.
Reed was a person of interest in Kern County for a murder charge, and he also had previous assault and rape charges and had served time in jail.
News media were also on standby to follow this story.
Some crew was along the highway while some were up in the chair with their choppers.
Reed was driving up to 90 mph, trying to escape the police.
Worse, he drove along the sidewalk in his escape, which was dangerous because he could have run over anyone.
Good thing the sidewalk was clear, but the chase still went on.
The chase went on for two hours.
This could have gone much longer if not for a driver who blocked the escape route to end the pursuit.
Big Rig to the Rescue
Ahmed Shaaban was driving his truck and only intended to look for a parking space when he saw the police chase heading in his direction.
He figured out where the suspect was hoping to pass, an escape route by the intersection.
What Ahmed did was far from what people would expect to do in this dangerous situation.
He drove towards the escape route, hoping to block it.
However, he did not expect the suspect to ram into his big rig.
The chase ended there. The police cornered Reed and placed him in custody under the U.S. Marshals.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed that Reed was the suspect they were looking for.
While it was a successful arrest for the police, it didn’t look as good for Ahmed.
He hurt his knee in the crash, but what’s worse was the damage to his truck, which was his family’s lifeline.
Community Came Together for the Hero
Tracy Adler, Ahmed’s wife, said that he bought the semi-truck late in 2020.
He owned the trucking company and that big rig which was their family’s bread and butter.
After her husband’s heroic act, Tracy said that their family’s life was put on hold, mainly because they weren’t sure if insurance would cover it or if they needed to buy a new one.
People suggested putting up a GoFundMe page to help them with their expenses.
Since then, they have already raised more than $90,000. According to Tracy’s latest update, their truck was considered a total loss, and they had to buy a new one.
However, she was hopeful they would get through it after the community came together to help them.
Ahmed and Tracy were thankful for the help they had gotten so far.
