'I'm Willing To Help': Tow Truck Driver Helps Business Owner Protect Property During Second Night Of Looting In Philly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Business owners are assessing the damage following a second night of unrest in Philadelphia. Looters hit stores hard in Port Richmond.
Chopper 3 was over store after store along Aramingo Avenue as people ran out with arms full of stolen merchandise.
"Every time they see the cops, they leave. Once the cops leave, they come right back. TVs, all kinds of things," one person said.
Eyewitness News was at the Aramingo Crossings Walmart while people rummaged through the store.
The crowds left aisles destroyed, rifle ammunition on the ground, and a Coin-Star machine gutted.
Across the parking lot, it was a similar sight at the Five Below. The store was boarded up but looters were able to smash their way inside, make a mess and take away anything they could get their hands on.
"I started protecting one of the property because one of the owners was out here by himself," one man said.
The man, who didn't want to give his name, was working his overnight shift as a tow truck driver when he jumped in to help the owner of nearby Z Furniture Designs.
"He was telling everyone, 'Please this is my store, this is my store, please,'" the tow truck driver said. "And he begged me to stay. He said, 'I'm willing to pay you.' I said, 'No, if I'm willing to help, I'm willing to help.'"
Once the crowds cleared Wednesday morning, the cleanup started.
Henry Giang arrived to find the door to his nail salon and spa destroyed.
"Terrible," he said.
Surveillance cameras recorded the chaos that unfolded inside his business last night.
"This just gets me angry because this is our community," the tow truck driver said. "It doesn't make no sense. It was really reckless."
He and others are only now beginning to assess the damage left behind.
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