Tow-truck driver is shot in North Philadelphia

A tow-truck driver was shot in a leg Monday morning in North Philadelphia, and his employer and a rival towing company blamed each other.

Two tow trucks responded to a car accident about 10:30 a.m. at Whitaker and Hunting Park Avenues, police said. There was a dispute, and one of the drivers was shot in a leg.

The two companies that responded were Mystical Towing and J & Son's Towing & Recovery, both companies confirmed.

The driver who was shot was Angel Carrera, 36, who works for Mystical, the company confirmed.

Police initially said that one tow-truck driver had shot the other, but employees from both companies said Carrera was shot by a man who arrived at the scene of the accident driving a black Cadillac Escalade.

A Mystical representative, who did not want to be identified, said that the driver of the Escalade was connected to J & Son's and that he was trying to force Carrera to leave. "We've had run-ins with them before," the representative said.

A man who identified himself as Michael at J & Son's said he did not know who was driving the Escalade, but then suggested that the Escalade driver had shot the Mystical driver in "self-defense."

"We have no feud with Mystical," Michael said.

Police said the injured driver got into his truck and drove to the nearby 24th/25th Police District headquarters at 3901 Whitaker Ave.

Officers then drove Carrera to Temple University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Contact staff writer Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com.