September 7, 2015 — Montreal, Quebec — Lachine residents are praising a local tow truck driver after he came to the rescue of a woman involved in a violent domestic dispute.
CTV News reports Tyler Ward, an operator with Burnstall Conrad Towing, was driving along Highway 20 close to the Angrigon exit the afternoon of August 17 when he spotted a man chasing a screaming woman on foot.
“At that point I was already in the exit and I kept looking and I saw him push her to the ground,” says the 29-year-old, who then made a U-turn, driving his tow truck back to the area—a parking lot—while dialling 9-1-1.
Worried that the police wouldn’t respond fast enough, Ward jumped out of his vehicle and pulled the man off of the woman, pushing him up against his truck. He was still on the phone with the 9-1-1 operator at the time.
Ward told the woman to go to a nearby building, while he tried to contain the man. The man pushed Ward twice before getting in his car and attempting to pursue the woman. Ward blocked the man with his truck.
The man eventually got by Ward, but was arrested minutes later after crashing his vehicle into a mini-bus. He faces charges of assault, fleeing the scene of an accident, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and drug possession.
While Ward’s actions have been deemed heroic, police are warning the public against getting involved in potentially dangerous situations.
“When they see something like that, when they see a conflict, when they see a fight, don’t hesitate to dial 9-1-1,” Montreal Police Spokespoerson Manuel Couture told CTV. “Don’t put yourself in danger, you never know what’s going to happen.”
In hindsight, Ward, a former firefighter, says that while his reaction was more about the woman’s safety than his own, he doesn’t regret stepping in and was glad to be of help.
