The owner of a stolen pickup truck called the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office after spotting his missing vehicle on Campbell Road in Lucasville. He then hired a local towing company to retrieve it. But when the tow driver arrived, the homeowner where the truck was parked allegedly opened fire. The shooter then fled the scene before deputies arrived.
Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident is a stark reminder of just how dangerous towing and repossession work can be.
A Deadly History in the Region
Five years ago, the risks became tragically clear in Lewis County, Kentucky. Tow driver Bryan Biggs, moonlighting as a repossession agent, was shot and killed by Michael Justice during a repo attempt.
Other drivers say encounters like these are not unusual. One local driver told SCDN he’s been shot at more than once:
“I’ve never been afraid. You know it’s there. If you were afraid of it you wouldn’t be there. I had many a bullet hole put through my truck.”
He recounted being shot at, attacked with baseball bats, bricks hurled through windows, and even once being chased all the way to the Portsmouth Police Department by a man with a gun.
The High Stakes of Repossession
Another veteran repo agent described the cutthroat side of the business, especially when banks are involved.
“Banks love to get out there in the time between a bankruptcy filing and when it goes before the judge. They’ll put a bounty on that car.”
That bounty can drive repo men to act recklessly, he explained, because if the vehicle is grabbed before the paperwork hits the courthouse, the payday is much larger.
“You want the extra money. You’re more apt to spout off or fight with the customer.”
Dangerous But Necessary Work
From stolen trucks to repossessed RVs and even fleets of armored cars, tow drivers and repo agents often walk into volatile situations. As this latest shooting shows, simply hooking up a vehicle can put their lives on the line.
