BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – A fight over a towed car turned deadly in East Flatbush Saturday when a 61-year-old died after being punched, police said.
The fight started Saturday around 8:45 p.m. on Clarkson Avenue near Rockaway Parkway as a 30-year-old tow truck driver attempted to tow Carlyle Thomas’ car, according to police sources.
According to family members, Thomas often parked his Honda minivan at the Shell gas station near his apartment on Rockaway Parkway for $10 a day. Saturday night, family members said someone at the gas station called the tow truck company to take Thomas‘s car away.
The 30-year-old punched Thomas in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, according to police and surveillance video. He was rushed to an area hospital and pronounced dead shortly after, police said.
The tow truck driver, identified as 30-year-old Kevon Johnson, was taken into custody, police said. He’s been charged with assault.
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“I want Ali, the gas station owner, to be arrested and the man who hit my fiancé to be arrested,” Andrea Gooden, the grieving fiancée of the man killed by a tow truck operator, told PIX11 News.
Thomas was a father, grandfather and well-known community member in East Flatbush, his family said.
“I want this gas station shut down. It shouldn’t exist anymore,” Valerie Simmons, the daughter of the man killed, told PIX11 News. “If lives are being lost over $10, why should they make money here?” she said.
Family members set up memorial candles where cars usually come in to pump gas Sunday night, effectively shutting down the gas station from doing any business.
Employees at the gas station say they are so upset about the death of a well-liked customer.
“He was like one of the family members. He would come in five or six times a day,” Imran Aziz, a gas station employee, told PIX11 News. “I saw the video. It is really heartbreaking. We feel sorry for his family,” he added.
“He was a good man, a hard-working man,” Germaine Thomas, Thomas’ son, told PIX11 News. “He carried kids. I just need him back,” he added.
Ali Azhar, the gas station’s owner, was unavailable for comment.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered local news for years. She has been with PIX11 since 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.
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