Repo man shot at while towing away vehicle in North Charleston

A tow-truck driver became the target of gunfire early this morning as he tried to repossess a vehicle from a resident of a North Charleston motel, according to a report.

No one was injured during the incident, and the victim identified the man who fired the shots around 12:28 a.m. at the Masters Inn on Rivers Avenue, according to the report from the North Charleston Police Department.

Shabazz Ameem Rainey, 24, of Ephgenie Square in North Charleston was later arrested on a charge of attempted murder and possession of cocaine, which was found in his motel room, according to the report.

The 30-year-old victim told the police that he showed up at 6100 Rivers Ave. and began backing his tow truck up to Rainey’s vehicle when he heard someone shout, “Hey man, they’re taking your car,” according to the report.

As the victim began driving off with the car attached to his truck, a man chased after him. As the truck pulled onto Rivers Avenue, the victim heard four gunshots, he told the police.

The tow-truck driver ducked.
Investigators tracked down Rainey because he was registered as the vehicle’s owner, according to the report. Rainey acknowledged firing a gun into the air, then getting scared and discarding it in an area trashcan, the report stated.

Officers recovered shell casings from the scene but not the firearm.

In Rainey’s room, officers found that a bag containing 1 gram of cocaine had been discarded into the toilet. Officers worried that Rainey might have consumed some cocaine, so he was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Rainey told officers that the drugs were not his.

Vehicle repossession has been a dangerous trade in past years.

In July 2010, an employee of Coastal Recovery Services was critically injured when the driver of the vehicle he was trying to repossess refused to give up the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu and struck him with the car.

Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested and charged Jaunima Taniqua Porter, 32, of Summerville with attempted murder.

Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or twitter.com/offlede.