Phone battery stops bullet, saves life

ATLANTA: A Georgia man literally owes his life to his cell phone when it managed to shield him from a bullet aimed at his chest.

"The battery's what stopped the bullet. And it only hit the very corner. I mean if it would have been right here, it'd have been a different story," said John Garber, as he held up the now ruined battery pack that saved his life.

Garber, who has worked as a valet for six years, was helping a customer into his car at a lounge when the shots were fired.

"The shots occurred and actually had one go in through the back, left side of my coat, come up through my coat, and hit my phone, which was placed on my left chest," Garber said.

Atlanta police arrested two brothers in the shooting, Timothy and Desmond Wright, and believe Desmond fired the shots from either a 40 caliber or 9 millimeter handgun.

Garber remembered hearing five shots.

"Most everybody ran back into the club, and at that point, I started checking myself to make sure I had not been hit. Because, like I said, I felt the bullet go through my jacket, but couldn't feel a wound. And thank God there wasn't one," Garber said.

His employer is paying to replace his cell phone.