Tow truck drivers ambushed at gunpoint

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Tow truck drivers are the new target of armed thieves. Twice this month, drivers for local towing companies were scammed, beaten and held at gunpoint.

Investigators said the suspects called the companies and told workers they had a car to sell for scrap. When the driver showed up, the suspects asked the driver to help them push a car out of a back yard. Then that’s when the suspects attacked.

“I honestly thought I was going to die right there,” said Steve Catlett with Steve’s Towing, one of the drivers attacked. “This side of my head looked like a swollen basketball.”

Catlett said one of the suspects pointed a semiautomatic gun toward his body. He then recalls being beaten so badly that he was knocked unconscious for about a minute.

He’s said when he regained consciousness, he saw the suspects from a distance. The thieves got away with Catlett’s cash. Police are searching for the suspects, but so far no arrest.

Just a couple days ago, a second tow truck driver was attacked in a similar scam. Police have yet to say if the crimes are connected.

If you have any information, police would like to hear from you. You can call Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous, and tips that lead to felony arrest may be eligible for cash reward.

In the meantime, a group of tow truck drivers met over the weekend. The drivers drove around Monument Circle to show support for those who were attacked.