Rami Abed sat in his white, two-door Acura sedan, sipping his morning tea as he waited for his Math 201 class to begin on Jan. 13, until he saw a large, white commercial van backing toward his car.  

Abed did not panic; he was sure the driver of the van would notice him and stop.

But the van did not stop and backed into Abed’s car, causing damage to his front bumper.

The white van sped off hurriedly, and Abed decided he would not simply wait behind; he would chase after the driver.

“I figured the vehicle must have been stolen because he was driving dangerously, like speeding and running through stop signs and red lights,” Rami recounted the incident. “I wanted to get his license plate number to give to officials.”

But Abed’s phone was disconnected and he was unable to alert authorities, so he decided to instead use it to take a video of his chase, hoping he could get a glimpse of the suspect for the officials.

The chase lasted several minutes through city streets until the van collided once again with his vehicle, this time with much greater force, Abed said.

Abed’s vehicle was totaled.

According to an official statement on the Fresno Sheriff’s department website, the white van was in fact stolen, carjacked earlier that morning by a tall white man weighing approximately 240 pounds, near Palm and Barstow.

The suspect is still at large and Abed is now left with a non-operational vehicle that his family of three cannot use. Abed says he now has to take the bus to go to his classes at Fresno City College.

Abed is taking classes to become a computer engineer.

A destroyed vehicle doesn’t compare to situations he had to endure in his home country of Iraq.

Abed was an interpreter for the Coalition Forces in Iraq from 2008-2010, helping American soldiers, before being shot in the back with an AK-47 high-powered rifle. Although he was wearing a bulletproof vest, he says the impact caused nerve damage.

After recovering, Abed decided to leave the Coalition Forces and opened up two businesses that he ran for two years before they were destroyed by terrorists.

He was crushed, and sold whatever he could salvage to get a portion of his money back.

It was after this that Abed decided to come to the U.S. with a refugee visa he obtained because of his work with the Coalition Forces. He was hopeful that he would be able to start a new life.

His new life began in September 2012 when he arrived to the city of Alameda, California with $150 in his pocket.

He started working at a Best Buy electronic store and saved just enough to buy the white Acura that is now destroyed.

Abed moved to Fresno in 2013 where he met his wife and now has a 2-year-old girl.

He works as a security guard to provide for his family and said he now struggles to get to places without his vehicle.

Despite his hard work, Abed does not wish anything negative to happen to the suspect who hit his car; instead, he wishes that the suspect gets help.

“I am fine, and can live with what he did as long as he promises he will not do something like this again,” Abed said. “God will forgive him, and hopefully he can change his ways and not get into trouble anymore.”

Though he can’t drive it, Abed said his car means a lot to him, and he looks forward to fixing it soon.

“This vehicle stands for my beginning in the United States,” he said. “I got married in this vehicle, and I brought my baby home from the hospital for the first time in this vehicle, so I hope to take care of it like it has taken care of me.”

For now, Abed says he will continue moving forward and is excited about finishing his education to help his family live the American dream.