Alleged wobbly wheel scam may have been running for 2 years
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Will Shen was watching ABC13 the other night when he recognized the mugs of Speed Lorenzo Thompson and his brother, Guiliano Christoper Thompson.
Police say both men pretended to be mechanics and pulled off a scam by telling drivers their tires were loose.
"I believed he was a good Samaritan at first," Shen said.
Most recently, dashcam video showed the suspects allegedly trying to pull a fast one on an unsuspecting mother and her child inside their car.
Shen said that's exactly what happened to him two years ago.
"He showed me all these things that were wrong, you know, with the steering wheel, and the back wheel and everything and he said, 'Let me try and help you fix it,'" Shen said.
He fell for it and said after the fix was allegedly made, the man who he believes to be one of the brothers asked him for $450, which he didn't have. Shen instead gave just $40.
"After running the events through my head, I knew I was defrauded," Shen said. "I was conned."
Police say the brothers would often set the wheel well on fire and tell the driver the tire is smoking. The brothers would then pressure drivers into paying for repairs.
Speed is in custody while Guiliano is still on the run.
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