Wreckers rally around wounded tow truck driver
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Between 100 and 150 wreckers from around Indiana rallied in front of Eskenazi Hospital Friday night to support Matthew Roberts.
“All your worries of competing against each other is out of the way. We are a big family. The guy who shot Matt don’t realize he’s messing with a huge family,” Charles Gamble of Cheap Towing and Recovery said.
On March 25th, Roberts was shot several times along I-70 as he stopped to help a stranded driver.
“I know Matt personally and he’s a really good guy. He’s a really good Christian guy,” James Coy, a former tow truck driver, said.
The suspect, Joseph Jackson of Raytown, Missouri is facing several charges including attempted murder, aggravated battery, and carrying a handgun without a license.
“He needs to understand, he messed his life up. He shot our brother, just imagine if he had shot a police officer,” said Gamble.
The wreckers at the rally want the public to know that their lives are at risk each time they get behind the wheel, much like a police officer or firefighter.
“Hopefully people understand that, that it’s not just taking someone’s car or impounding a car. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with a service and going out and assisting the police, assisting the fire, and assisting the people that are broke down,” Coy said.
Jackson is being held at the Hendricks County Jail, where the wreckers say they will hold another rally on Saturday.