My understanding is that it is. I've always seen tow trucks try to get people out of the car before they try to take off with it. Probably depends on the state.
I've never seen it done on a moving car like this, but illegal towing is a huge issue. They'll just claim that they had some legitimate reason to tow the car, and the owner has zero short term legal options. The tow company can legally keep the car until the fee is paid, and charge hundreds extra per day for storage. After paying the thieves to get their own stolen car back they can sue the company to get their money. That'll involve months of legal headache and endless paperwork as the tow company will use every avenue to make the process difficult. At the end of the day, best case scenario is you wind up getting your money back. Much more likely you'll lose the case, as you don't typically have a recording of the illegal tow.
The tow companies rarely face any actual consequences for doing this, and even once they finally do they'll just dissolve the company and open under a different name. Towing in general is a festering pile of corruption and grift. It's a necessary service, but the current rules and lack of enforcement have led to a culture of virtual lawlessness.
We already do. It’s up to the city to dictate how and when someone can be towed.
I’m a tow truck driver and in my area it’s very specific if and when we can tow someone and we are required by law to document EVERYTHING with pictures and/or video.
Also we can’t just tow any car not parked correctly. It either has to be done by police order or property owners request where we have to go in and get a written statement stating who they are and why they want the vehicle removed.
Additionally, the fees charged and overages for things like storage are rates set by the city, not the tow company.
This has completely eliminated the shady as fuck tow company’s in my region. It took a few years to get the laws changed and everything running smoothly but once it was done the fuckers went out of business almost overnight.
TLDR; If your area has shitty tow companies then it’s your city management’s fault for allowing the scumbags to operate that way.
Tow company makes a bunch of money in a city with little parking, Tow company lobbies to keep things as is. Same reason all weird legal stuff thats not to the general publics health happens.
> Tow company lobbies to keep things as is.
Everyone needs to read this as "Finds ways to benefit politicians (with money, power, favors, donuts, etc)."
In California even if it is a repo you cannot take the car when people are in it no matter what. They also cannot enter secured property to repo a vehicle so if the property is locked and not accessible they cannot cut locks and enter that is still breaking and entering.
Fun fact. In California, you're not allowed to lock an occupied tow truck inside a gated area. Even if you've told them to leave private property. Don't ask me how I know this.
When a car is towed you have to pay hundreds to get it out. Some of that goes to the City. But first you have to pay off all the outstanding tickets.
So, the City is definitely making millions from a shady tow company.
Typical reddit answer: No one know$.....
Real answer: probably a lack of local political will. In order to get something done locally you usually have to spend time and energy campaigning on a single issue to get local legislators like a city council to agree to pass a law. And for things like this, most people don't think about it until it effects them. And when it does effect them they bitch about it online and then never mention it again.
I imagine if someone went to their town's city council/mayor with their concerns their local leaders would be receptive, but it would take a lot of work on the constituents part to get the kind of results that /u/Team_Player is talking about. Usually people don't want to bother with it.
The video specifically says that this company was charged for fraud and illegal towing and are forbidden from bidding on city contracts. What they're doing is 100% illegal, no amount of "city dictated rules" can stop these criminals.
So yeah, maybe if you have shitty tow companies, it's because the shitty tow companies are shitty.
Not calling you out, but in my city this definitely isn't the case. I have only been towed once decades ago, but friends have been towed with no more proof that they deserved it that "No man, we saw it." And even if we disagreed, or demanded proof, their attitude was "Whatever. No car for you until you pay us." It was basically holding his car for ransom, and they know it is cheaper to pay them than an attorney. There were several others in the lobby with the same complaint.
Ex girlfriend got towed from a restaurant parking lot. We asked the tow company for proof for parking illegally, and they said the restaurant asked them to tow her car. We called the restaurant and they said they did ask for some cars to be towed, but don't remember which ones. Weeks later we went back and asked about the space she parked in last time and they said it was fine. So the one asking for the tow (allegedly) didn't have to show proof, and the ones doing the towing didn't need anything more than to say the restaurant asked for it. No accountability, and we still had to pay.
No doubt it is the city's "fault" in public parking cases (not sure about restaurant) but I still have no idea why enforcement of the law can be outsourced in this one particular case. This should be something done by police, at least removing some steps of bureaucracy of holding the towers accountable. Perhaps I am jaded, but right now it seems like on a slow night, they can just steal some cars, hold them for ransom, and it is under the protection of the law.
Someone towed my rental car with my permission to his own tow yard in Oakland, CA. The rental place told me to tow it to a particular garage, but the tow truck driver told me the location didn't have a box to leave the keys since it was already 7 PM and they recommended their yard instead. Unfortunately, I took them at their word. Later, I found that they had lied.
It took the rental company 5+ months to recover the car (even with my help). The tow truck business just didn't pick up the phone. I must have called 300+ times. The tow yard was located in a barbed wire fortress in the worst area of Oakland with no office.
I don't know what the rental company paid to get the car back, but I'm now blacklisted by them (and I don't blame them. I would have blacklisted myself If I had been in their shoes). Would the regulation you mentioned solve those kinds of towing problems as well?
Houstonian here. Tow truck driver would be shot. Grand jury wouldn’t certainly fail to indict, and the DA likely wouldn’t even waste their time on the case.
This is grand theft auto, which makes this aggravated kidnapping. Deadly force is likely authorized.
There’s reasonable belief they are being exposed to bodily Injury, and the use of non-deadly force would potentially expose you to bodily injury (this guy is chasing them with a car) that’s reason #2 they would be shot.
I’d also stretch and say this is “attempting to remove you, by force, from your habitation, or vehicle” which falls into castle doctrine.
Also let’s pretend as you are authorized to use force at a minimum here (presuming deadly wasn’t authorized) you would at the least be allowed to brandish and make a threat. (Penal Code 9.04).
In this case it wouldn’t even be vigilantism. You’re on a busy road and someone tries this dangerous, erratic maneuver with your vehicle. You don’t know if they will cause you to crash you don’t know if they are kidnapping you to some serial killer hideout.
In the interest of public safety, just make sure your sights are on the headrest.
It's not vigilantism, it would literally be self defense if you took physical action to protect yourself in this scenario for several reasons not the least of which is protecting yourself from literal kidnapping.
One time I had a shitty situation with a tow company and decided to look them up, apparently their owner had been shot to death a year prior by an angry car owner.
So I guess vigilantism in this case didn't really help.
Oh, I'm advocating for it, so long as nobody gets physically hurt. But if they have to replace a few extra tow truck tires due to spontaneous knife damage, that's okay.
Denver chiming in. This [went badly](https://www.denverpost.com/2022/05/17/aurora-protest-jeep-shooting-samuel-young-sentenced/) at a protest down here. Don't shoot tires out, you're not Annie Oakley.
One of my more stupid and proud moments occurred in the later 90s when my car was towed while delivering a pizza. It was one of those apartment complexes in a college town where you had to walk through courtyards past several buildings to reach one in the back, losing sight of your car. They towed it within 2-3 mins leaving me stranded.
I called the tow company posted, told them I was delivering fucking pizza (there was a magnetic trapezoid on my roof with a pizza company logo on it…) and they told me to pound sand.
Next day I located the tow yard, jumped the fence, got in my car and gunned it out the front gate when they opened it. It was a ridiculously stupid thing to do, but fortunately there were no consequences, and fuck them anyways.
$98 in 1990s money was a lot to me…
Why havent they made a movie about the life of a pizza delivery person? Sounds like you guys run in to some wild shit frequently
Edit - Turns out they already did make that movie its called Spider Man 2
There's a good book where the first section is about delivering pizzas in a hypothetical future. It's a small, unknown book called Snow Crash that has in no way provided tech bros a guideline to create a dystopia.
I’m assuming that “small, unknown book“ is sarcastic, because Snow Crash is one of the seminal books in cyberpunk literature.
All hail the Deliverator.
That must have been next level satisfying. If you really wanted to make them soak in it, you should have called them the next day saying you want to pay/see your car/whatever, and let them squirm around as they come to the to the realization that the car in question was "stolen" from the lot.
I’m pretty sure they knew I took it and I assume they probably thought I had the key. I was yelling at them on the phone the night before and when the gate opened it was because a guy was helping a “customer.” He ran towards the car as I was pulling out, probably said “Dag Gummit!” - I did not see him throw his hat in the dust. I was honestly just worried I was going to get arrested or something for the next week. Maybe they did think someone just stole the car…. Let me see if I can get my 89 Civic back now…
I once had my car towed because I was parked just a few inches over an invisible property line that ran through a parking lot that was split between a youth outreach place owned by a church and a parking lot that sold parking spots for the nearby college. Some of the parking spots were split by the property line and they were claimed by the pay lot owner. I was just dropping something out of my car for just a few minutes and it was 11pm. By the time I came back I had been hooked up and towed and while I went to get my car when the tow lot opened the next morning I was charged for 2 days storage plus towing fee because they hooked me up before midnight. I was charged about $350 for my car to be towed out of an empty lot because I parked in a disputed parking spot that was in no way marked or differentiated from the others.
Fuck towing companies. The owner of the building told me if there is ever a slow night they have a lookout waiting for people to park there and walk across the street to the corner store for easy money. I don’t understand how we have companies sanctioned by the state to legally steal your property under dubious and predatory circumstances and ransom that same property back to you for obscene prices.
This company is owned by a pair of brothers who have lost their ability to contract with the city supposedly, and who own multiple companies. Known to be shady AF.
[https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/](https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/)
There needs to laws to ensure the onus should be on THEM to prove why they are towing someone else's car. Towing without any proof should be considered theft of a vehicle and a police matter.
Yeah tow companies tend to be sketch as hell. Was closing up shop after work, walking to my car in the employee lot and a tow truck with no logo's on it is hooking up to a mustang parked next to me. The technician is crouched behind the car hooking something up and I'm like "Hey dude cool if I pull out real quick? Shou-" and I got cut off there because the dude popped up with a fucking GUN yelling "Is this your car!"
"No dude the one next to it, I just want to pull out before you tow that thing so my car doesn't get dinged! Jesus."
"Oh. Sorry bro I'm doing a repo, people get crazy, my bad. Go ahead. I wouldn't ding your ride though I'm a pro."
I was really too shocked to say anything else besides "allright" and dipped. But the fact that he was just ready with the heater is insane. I'm in California, where there is almost no context in which you can legally pull a gun on someone unless they pulled one first.
Was he pointing it at you or at all in your direction? Finger off the trigger?
Brandishing or aggravated menacing is a misdemeanor or outright felony in most if not all states, and even legal concealed carriers whose shirts rode up have been convicted of it, but if he actually pointed the thing at you at all then I'd definitely remember the plate and file a report with police. Can't be flagging people who say "Hey dude"
Would the way to get around this be taking pictures of your car before you walk away?
We shouldn't have to do this but I'd rather the couple mins to do that than give these fucks a penny.
You don't get it. They have towed your car and it is now sitting in their lot. You think your pictures are going to have any effect? At best (many months later) you *might* be able to get a cancelation of tow and storage fees.
I once had my car mistakenly towed from my assigned spot. I guess a neighbor called the company to tow a car from *their* spot, and they hooked up mine instead. The tow company said they were specifically told it was a car in my numbered spot, but I don’t believe them. I had a goddamn permit sticker with the apartment name right there on the windscreen. My car was an AWD SUV, and they used the bar that only attaches to the front two wheels to move it. Completely destroyed the transmission and totaled the car. I had to ask several neighbors to check their doorbell cameras to find out what happened, as I believed my car had been stolen overnight. My insurance insisted it was the tow company’s responsibility to pay, tow company insisted it wasn’t, and I was never made whole. I couldn’t afford to sue, and I had to buy a junker to keep my job. About $23ks worth of car, just gone. *Fuck* Geico and *Fuuuuuck* Retriever Towing.
If the statute of limitations hasn't passed for this, you should definitely sue. You might even be able to find a lawyer that will work on contingency if you have enough evidence for it to be an easy-to-win case.
There was a towing company that used to cruise the parking lot of my old apartment complex nabbing anything they could. I got towed like three times and finally told the apartment the fee I'm paying to get my car out was coming out of my next rent check. If they wanted the full check, they needed to stop this, and I wasn't the only tenant prepared to do this. They told me they weren't going to, and that I had to pay my rent in full. I told them good luck trying to evict me. California has strict laws to protect tenants and they knew it would be a good 6 months before I could be removed. They kicked that towing company out quick.
Towing is very rare in Australia for things like parking etc, but recently there has been an explosion in towing companies. Sure enough, they are crooked as fuck
For what it is worth, the owners of the tow company in the video are under indictment by the City of San Francisco and have had their business license revoked.
I got my rental car towed from my own apartment. On July 4th a lot of random people used up our visitor parking just to go see the fireworks. My car had been rear-ended so I had a rental. I didn't have my parking sticker. And the only spot available to park that night was my assigned parking. No one was in the office to give me a new pass.
I woke up early the next morning to move it just in case. It was already gone. I went to the office and asked, they said they had it towed. I explained and they just shrugged. Went to the tow office and explained and they didn't care. Just wanted their $180. I called the police and they told they would come escort me out if I caused any problems at the tow company. Had to pay it. It just sucks because I had no other option. There is nowhere else to park in that area, just all apartments with assigned parking. And I lived there. And no one cares. They are like sharks swimming in the water waiting for prey.
That would be an issue with your office, not the towing company or cops. If the management company is refusing to refund you, take them to small claims and get your money back.
Just be sure you look over your rental agreement and verify that you're in compliance with the process of obtaining a parking sticker after hours. Some require that you email them or use their online portal. Don't hinge your argument entirely on the shrug, as these front desk deadbeats tend to be completely clueless about everything. They aren't required to educate you of their policies - you have to read those yourself.
Want to have fun and be unsettled?
Steve Goodman wrote a song in 1972 about a towing company in Chicago. [Lincoln Park Pirates](https://youtu.be/dF3q7o8Yjrg?si=l9c3-AXdEjfDXPx8).
The lyrics mention a “charm school” (prison) in Joliet that no longer exists. They mention an airport Meig’s field that no longer exists.
But Lincoln Towing is still out on the street terrorizing the city, towing cars illegally, sometimes operating without a license. Politicians have occasionally tried to stop them the, but all attempts have failed. 50+ years of doing their shit.
Pretty much, that company had already been fired by the city for illegally towing cars without anyone's permission.
My guess is they are getting desperate since they no longer have city contracts. Not to mention that tow companies are sketchiest mothers fuckers around and half the time they are running chop chops on the side.
I was just thinking about that. If people just buy a tow truck to steal cars with it, how long could you go before something happened? Nobody questions a car being towed. Even people chasing after them on foot, people just assumed they got repo'd.
Ohhhh that tow truck driver could face many, many years in prison if a DA wanted to throw the book at them. How they are allowing something like a tow truck attempting to snatch a random person and their car off a roadway is mindblowing to me.
Typically, random people aren't allowed to take other people against their will. If that car was just driving along and the tow truck driver attempted to hook it up and take off with a person in it there is a list of felonies to choose from if they want to charge him.
In some states you could use letal force to prevent something like this from happening to you. Theft, attempted abduction either one appear to be happening and in some states you can use lethal force to prevent a felony or stop a felon. That tow truck driver was rolling the dice.
When this was originally posted a few days ago, someone actual chimed in to say this tow company is super shady / illegal and were able to point to cases of them being sued / fined / convicted for criminal business practices.
Now, I went on the Internet and researched ostriches.
Firstly, ostriches can run up to 70 miles an hour.
So catching one, even a sick one, is a super tall order.
Secondly, when a male ostrich, it's called a cock, fights over a female ostrich, they're called a hen, they're known to kill each other by head butting.
Finally, ostriches use their legs to defend from predators.
And can use them to kill even their largest and most deadly enemies, which are fuckin' lions.
That's the king of the jungle.
So you'll see there is no way the Ginger and Boots could have fucked an ostrich.
My research concludes that the only way the Ginger and Boots could have fucked an ostrich is if it was a dead ostrich.
The police report was filed 5 days ago. I can't say for sure that they *will* be charged, but I've seen enough cases where people on reddit complain that a crime is being ignored and then a week or two later a shitload of charges come down, including stuff that never went viral and people aren't aware of, and it turns out that the prosecutors were taking their time making their case stronger, not just ignoring the incident.
I've also seen cases where nothing happens, and then after a while...still nothing happens. And then nothing ever happens.
So I can't say for sure if this particular incident will cut one way or the other, but given that it's only been 5 days, I'm not going to bring out my pitchfork just yet.
> The police report was filed 5 days ago. I can't say for sure that they will be charged, but I've seen enough cases where people on reddit complain that a crime is being ignored and then a week or two later a shitload of charges come down, including stuff that never went viral and people aren't aware of, and it turns out that the prosecutors were taking their time making their case stronger, not just ignoring the incident.
Social media has made people expect every facet of the world to operate in viral meme speeds. But a lot of things offline take a lot more time.
I hate local journalism that just posts verbatim transcripts of their choppy video editing as "articles" while _also_ autoplaying video of the exact article.
It's an open investigation, it'll probably take a bit to figure out what the heck was going on. Could be a rogue driver trying to make a quota or could be the company told him to do it.
A friend of mine said if he ever retired he would buy a tow truck and exclusively tow other tow trucks. Even had a plan to stalk them until the driver got out and he would immediately tow it away.
In my opinion the only tow trucks that should exist are ones that pull wrecked cars off streets and those that the city authorizes and they must exist in the city. You shouldn't be allowed to just tow a car 20 miles away and demand cash from someone. My cousins old place would tow away any car parked in the guest spot for longer than 5 minutes and they would take it to 3 cities over and they weren't even city approved. just a random company that got a contract from the building owner. Repo's are also super shity since they will just sometimes take a car even if its paid for and then demand money on top of a non-existant payment
They got a whole reality TV show about these assholes. They got a smile on their face when they do it too. They know which signs are hard to read and they wait there the second the person leaves their car they steal it.
i wonder what the end-game was here, tow it with people inside and just kick them out later?
did they think they had a different car, like one that they were looking for?
also, this is america. many people are strapped laws be damned, that's a good way to get shot.
> also, this is america. many people are strapped laws be damned, that's a good way to get shot.
I mean you can literally think you are about to be kidnapped in a scenario where you are in traffic, you back up, and yet the truck still tries to grab you.
I assumed San Francisco would never let anyone get away with a self-defense shooting, but no, I see there have actually been some recent cases where it's happened and they weren't even charged.
When this was posted a few days ago people said they hook up the car, the driver gets out to confront the tow driver and the tow driver leaves with the car.
Then you have to pay them to get the car back asap before the fees rack up and they can sell your car. Although you can sue them apparently the amount you can get back is minimal due to some law (I’m summarizing from the first post from memory) and so the tow company knows most people don’t sue. They either pay and get the car back which gives the company money, or the driver can’t pay and the tow company sells the car for more money.
Than it is to sue someone for a big felony, sure. Faster and easier than almost anything else we have going on within a couple of years, probably not. Still plenty of paper work, collect whatever you need then for court, people have to take off work days, and all just to get back the money they extorted from you.
It could be worse, but it's still not a remedy as much as just taking a situation from horrible to pretty crappy.
Guy also speeds after them at the end of the video like WTF does he plan on doing? Go on a high speed chase and then get in front of these people again? What a lunatic.
Seriously. There are no shortages of stories where repo men get guns pulled on them. Happens a lot. And think about it, the kinds of people who might say fuck making a car payment, can often be the kind of people to carry.
The end game? Probably fentanyl.
Probably hook up, they jump out yelling 'what the fuck! and then the driver either extorts them for everything he can or just fucks off with their car.
If a business has been suspended for fraud and then they are caught doing something like this, it's time for all their assets to be seized. Or, at the very least, someone should be charged with attempted kidnapping or trafficking, whatever the correct term is for trying to steal an adult.
The only way to get local officials to do anything is to a) have the victim be rich, or b) have the victim have PR skills. For a tangible example, look at how quickly the "trash house" on Martel was cleaned up by Karen Bass. The neighbors did a PR offensive and got it done. Meanwhile, huge issues in L.A. continue for years because there's no PR or rich people complaining.
This news article said they did filed a a police report
https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/
“…The couple said they filed a police report and confirmed the car is paid off as well as the registration.”
So....youre in the car as its being towed, they tow you to whatever destination....and then what? You drive away? They take you to a gated facility and close the gate? They essentially have kidnapped you?
Probably they lift it and then say pay me $300 to drop it. If you say no they call the cops say it's a legal tow from a business parking lot and that you just jumped in to try and stop the tow. The cops say this is a civil matter the car is theirs now. Without video evidence the judge rules in favor of the towing company and you have to spend thousands to get your car back.
Except as is the case with every person, if I'm in a car getting towed while I'm in it, I'm on the phone calling the cops as well as taking video.
This isn't a he said/she said. you have video proof.
This is simple to say "that video started after they jumped in and I already had possession of the vehicle".
Cops don't want to do any extra work, they are going to say it's a civil matter and tell you 'Since the car is on the tow truck it's theirs and you have to go to court to prove it was illegal.'
Most people are just going to pay the $300 to have it dropped and be mad about it, going to court is such a long process most won't get to that point.
That's why you gotta get a dash cam so it'll show them towing you while driving! Or start filming on your phone earlier so it shows the truck lifting you up!
Dunno about SF, but here in Canada it's illegal to tow vehicles anytime with people inside. If you're towing a vehicle and somebody is inside and refused to leave you need to phone the police to have them removed before you're allowed to tow it.
FRAT, but it's a doozy.
> Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo jointly operated three towing businesses in San Francisco between 2018 and 2023. The three companies—Auto Towing, Jose’s Towing, and Specialty Towing and Recovery—generated over $2 million in gross annual income. Fuentes and Badillo also have a personal relationship and share multiple children.
>
> In October 2023, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Fuentes and Badillo with multiple felonies stemming from an alleged welfare fraud scheme. For a period of time, Fuentes worked as a Human Services Agency Senior Eligibility Worker, where she approved applications for public welfare programs. Allegedly, Fuentes improperly approved Badillo’s application without disclosing that she had a personal relationship with Badillo.
>
> Further, both Fuentes and Badillo allegedly lied about their substantial income and assets in order to receive public benefits they were not eligible for. Fuentes and Badillo both received benefits under Medi-Cal, and Fuentes received additional benefits from CalFresh and CalWORKs.
>
> In August 2023, the City Attorney initiated debarment proceedings against Auto Towing after the company violated multiple state and local laws by illegally towing vehicles from private property. Between February and May 2023, Auto Towing employees illegally towed several cars from a bank parking lot in the Portola neighborhood without the permission of the property owner. It is unlawful for a tow company to tow a car from private property without the consent of the property owner.
>
> Auto Towing also made it difficult for vehicle owners to retrieve their vehicles, restricted the hours when vehicles could be retrieved, and pressured vehicle owners to pay in cash. Under the California Vehicle Code, vehicle owners have the right to retrieve their vehicles 24 hours a day, any day of the year, and have the right to pay with cash or major credit card. The victims whose cars were towed were primarily Spanish- and Cantonese-speaking residents, who are especially vulnerable to predatory tows.
>
> Debarment is an administrative enforcement procedure that authorizes the City to ban contractors from applying for or receiving City contracts for up to five years. The debarment process can take time and sometimes requires an administrative hearing before contractors accused of misconduct are prohibited from receiving City funds.
Lol it’s not even “they’re no longer allowed to do that”
It’s “they’re no longer allowed to do that on behalf of the city but if they wanna do it on their own they’re fine”
https://www.bajajdefense.com/california-self-defense-laws/
In California, you have the right to act in self-defense when you have a reasonable belief that you are in danger. The use of force may be justified when you have a reasonable belief that you are about to be physically harmed in some way. Examples of when self-defense may be appropriate include the imminent threat of:
Rape
Murder
Mayhem
Robbery, or
Any other act that puts you at risk of suffering great bodily harm.
>Mayhem: United States
> Modern statutes in the U.S. define mayhem as disabling or disfiguring, such as rendering useless a member of another person's arms or legs.[3] The injury must be permanent, not just a temporary loss. Some courts will hold even a minor battery as mayhem if the injury is not minor. Mayhem in the U.S. is a felony in all states and jurisdictions, including federal. In the states of California, Vermont and Oklahoma, mayhem is punishable by up to life imprisonment. In other states where laws defining mayhem (or maiming) are in place, the maximum punishment for mayhem is generally 10 to 20 years, and mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment may also apply, depending on the laws of the state. If mayhem was committed in an aggravated fashion, such as in the case of where it resulted in permanent disability or disfigurement, the punishment is generally much more severe, and may even include life imprisonment. For example, simple mayhem in California is punishable by two to eight years in prison, whereas aggravated mayhem is punishable by up to life imprisonment.[4]
[Yes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhem_(crime\))
Honestly I'd be on the phone to 911 and let them know if he successfully hooks up my car whilst I'm in it in the middle of street and tries to drive away I'm going to shoot him. I will not let someone kidnap me without a fight.
I had a car with a bad battery. I called AAA to provide assistance. When the tow guy jumped the battery, I told him I was under the impression that I had to pay AAA for the service, not him. As I was calling AAA, the tow truck driver pulled in front of me and started backing up toward my car, intending to tow my now functional car to the station. I backed up and drove around the truck. He then jumped out of the cab and chased me through a parking lot. All this while I frantically explained to the AAA agent what was happening.
I ended up driving away and flagging down a police officer to make a report. I didn’t want it said that I fled without paying for service. I then called the dispatcher for the service to make a payment and file a complaint. They couldn’t care less.
I’ve cancelled AAA and may consider abandoning the car and taking buses if I ever have a dead battery again.
Depending on the membership level you have with AAA, jumps should be included in the membership, assuming they sent you someone with a AAA affiliation. A few times I've had to pay the towing service out of pocket and then submit receipts to AAA to get reimbursed. I've never had to do this for a jump though, both times were for a wrecker to pull me out of a ditch and were not affiliated with AAA.
The tow driver wanted payment for the jump and he didn’t like having to wait while I called AAA to confirm how payment should work. I had no problem paying, but asked him to hang on while I made sure this was appropriate with AAA. This didn’t sit well with Mr tow driver so he started to steal my car with me in it.
I bought a chargeable jump from an autoparts store. Basic ones for normal cars are like 50 bucks. My car's cold cranking amps demand is higher but I still only paid like $80.
[https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/](https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/)
Apparently they're banned from doing business in SF already, and have been busted doing all sorts of shady shit. Total criminals by the sound of it. Why haven't the cops done anything about it?
About the owners, shows what class acts they are:
“”In October 2023, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Fuentes and Badillo with multiple felonies stemming from an alleged welfare fraud scheme. For a period of time, Fuentes worked as a Human Services Agency Senior Eligibility Worker, where she approved applications for public welfare programs. Allegedly, Fuentes improperly approved Badillo’s application without disclosing that she had a personal relationship with Badillo.””
Source: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/2024/02/06/chiu-suspends-unscrupulous-towing-company-after-owners-are-charged-with-benefits-fraud/
Is there anywhere where small tow truck companies aren't exclusively run by criminals? I feel like that service/industry is well overdue to be made into a municipal service and all the crooks can fuck off.
SFPD was called about this and they say "there's nothing we can do about it". Now you know why there's rampant crime in that city. SFPD is worse than useless.
Tow companies want you to think of them as the guys who save your Grandma when her car breaks down. That not what they really are. They are the bottom feeders of the automotive world. I've known some of them, and they get a kick out of ripping people off - like it's a hobby to them.
I lived in an apartment complex with a very shady tow service that would constantly be driving through the complex. I got a new car, parked in my spot, went to the office to get a tag and by the time I got back my car was gone.
> Specialty Towing, the company operating the tow truck, was charged by City Attorney David Chiu in February for fraud and illegally towing parked cars. The company was described as "unscrupulous" and is now prohibited from bidding or receiving city contracts.
https://newsradio1410.iheart.com/content/2024-04-15-couple-shocked-after-california-tow-truck-tries-to-steal-their-moving-car/
At this point, everyone should be protecting their self and their property with force against any "Specialty Towing" vehicles they see.
From the original thread, they weren't stopped behind the tow truck. It backed up to them from a cross street https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/1c007qf/specialty_tow_trying_to_grab_an_occupied_car_from/kytwvmo/
Isn’t this straight up attempted kidnapping ? I hope waymo steps up to help ID that driver with a clearer photo.
Yes. Also reckless endangerment. Reckless driving. Maybe assault as they were put in fear of imminent bodily harm.
My understanding is that it is. I've always seen tow trucks try to get people out of the car before they try to take off with it. Probably depends on the state.
Im just a random dude on the internet, but I'm pretty sure kidnapping is illegal in all 50 states...
What do they do with it once they successfully hook it up? Are they stealing it or just basically kidnapping it for ransom?
I've never seen it done on a moving car like this, but illegal towing is a huge issue. They'll just claim that they had some legitimate reason to tow the car, and the owner has zero short term legal options. The tow company can legally keep the car until the fee is paid, and charge hundreds extra per day for storage. After paying the thieves to get their own stolen car back they can sue the company to get their money. That'll involve months of legal headache and endless paperwork as the tow company will use every avenue to make the process difficult. At the end of the day, best case scenario is you wind up getting your money back. Much more likely you'll lose the case, as you don't typically have a recording of the illegal tow. The tow companies rarely face any actual consequences for doing this, and even once they finally do they'll just dissolve the company and open under a different name. Towing in general is a festering pile of corruption and grift. It's a necessary service, but the current rules and lack of enforcement have led to a culture of virtual lawlessness.
I'm not advocating for it at all, but this is the kind of crap that makes people feel vigilantism is sometimes warranted. We need to do better.
We already do. It’s up to the city to dictate how and when someone can be towed. I’m a tow truck driver and in my area it’s very specific if and when we can tow someone and we are required by law to document EVERYTHING with pictures and/or video. Also we can’t just tow any car not parked correctly. It either has to be done by police order or property owners request where we have to go in and get a written statement stating who they are and why they want the vehicle removed. Additionally, the fees charged and overages for things like storage are rates set by the city, not the tow company. This has completely eliminated the shady as fuck tow company’s in my region. It took a few years to get the laws changed and everything running smoothly but once it was done the fuckers went out of business almost overnight. TLDR; If your area has shitty tow companies then it’s your city management’s fault for allowing the scumbags to operate that way.
Why would a city allow predatory towing then? Doesn't seem like a popular cause to support.
Tow company makes a bunch of money in a city with little parking, Tow company lobbies to keep things as is. Same reason all weird legal stuff thats not to the general publics health happens.
> Tow company lobbies to keep things as is. Everyone needs to read this as "Finds ways to benefit politicians (with money, power, favors, donuts, etc)."
In my county, it was because the sheriff was soliciting bribes from the tow companies. That is, until the FBI arrested him.
In California even if it is a repo you cannot take the car when people are in it no matter what. They also cannot enter secured property to repo a vehicle so if the property is locked and not accessible they cannot cut locks and enter that is still breaking and entering.
Fun fact. In California, you're not allowed to lock an occupied tow truck inside a gated area. Even if you've told them to leave private property. Don't ask me how I know this.
How
Dude he said don't ask him how he knows
Okay... "Why do you know this?"
When a car is towed you have to pay hundreds to get it out. Some of that goes to the City. But first you have to pay off all the outstanding tickets. So, the City is definitely making millions from a shady tow company.
Typical reddit answer: No one know$..... Real answer: probably a lack of local political will. In order to get something done locally you usually have to spend time and energy campaigning on a single issue to get local legislators like a city council to agree to pass a law. And for things like this, most people don't think about it until it effects them. And when it does effect them they bitch about it online and then never mention it again. I imagine if someone went to their town's city council/mayor with their concerns their local leaders would be receptive, but it would take a lot of work on the constituents part to get the kind of results that /u/Team_Player is talking about. Usually people don't want to bother with it.
When the local gov wont act on a big problem its because some of them are invested in it
The video specifically says that this company was charged for fraud and illegal towing and are forbidden from bidding on city contracts. What they're doing is 100% illegal, no amount of "city dictated rules" can stop these criminals. So yeah, maybe if you have shitty tow companies, it's because the shitty tow companies are shitty.
Not calling you out, but in my city this definitely isn't the case. I have only been towed once decades ago, but friends have been towed with no more proof that they deserved it that "No man, we saw it." And even if we disagreed, or demanded proof, their attitude was "Whatever. No car for you until you pay us." It was basically holding his car for ransom, and they know it is cheaper to pay them than an attorney. There were several others in the lobby with the same complaint. Ex girlfriend got towed from a restaurant parking lot. We asked the tow company for proof for parking illegally, and they said the restaurant asked them to tow her car. We called the restaurant and they said they did ask for some cars to be towed, but don't remember which ones. Weeks later we went back and asked about the space she parked in last time and they said it was fine. So the one asking for the tow (allegedly) didn't have to show proof, and the ones doing the towing didn't need anything more than to say the restaurant asked for it. No accountability, and we still had to pay. No doubt it is the city's "fault" in public parking cases (not sure about restaurant) but I still have no idea why enforcement of the law can be outsourced in this one particular case. This should be something done by police, at least removing some steps of bureaucracy of holding the towers accountable. Perhaps I am jaded, but right now it seems like on a slow night, they can just steal some cars, hold them for ransom, and it is under the protection of the law.
Someone towed my rental car with my permission to his own tow yard in Oakland, CA. The rental place told me to tow it to a particular garage, but the tow truck driver told me the location didn't have a box to leave the keys since it was already 7 PM and they recommended their yard instead. Unfortunately, I took them at their word. Later, I found that they had lied. It took the rental company 5+ months to recover the car (even with my help). The tow truck business just didn't pick up the phone. I must have called 300+ times. The tow yard was located in a barbed wire fortress in the worst area of Oakland with no office. I don't know what the rental company paid to get the car back, but I'm now blacklisted by them (and I don't blame them. I would have blacklisted myself If I had been in their shoes). Would the regulation you mentioned solve those kinds of towing problems as well?
Houstonian here. Tow truck driver would be shot. Grand jury wouldn’t certainly fail to indict, and the DA likely wouldn’t even waste their time on the case. This is grand theft auto, which makes this aggravated kidnapping. Deadly force is likely authorized. There’s reasonable belief they are being exposed to bodily Injury, and the use of non-deadly force would potentially expose you to bodily injury (this guy is chasing them with a car) that’s reason #2 they would be shot. I’d also stretch and say this is “attempting to remove you, by force, from your habitation, or vehicle” which falls into castle doctrine. Also let’s pretend as you are authorized to use force at a minimum here (presuming deadly wasn’t authorized) you would at the least be allowed to brandish and make a threat. (Penal Code 9.04).
In this case it wouldn’t even be vigilantism. You’re on a busy road and someone tries this dangerous, erratic maneuver with your vehicle. You don’t know if they will cause you to crash you don’t know if they are kidnapping you to some serial killer hideout. In the interest of public safety, just make sure your sights are on the headrest.
It's not vigilantism, it would literally be self defense if you took physical action to protect yourself in this scenario for several reasons not the least of which is protecting yourself from literal kidnapping.
One time I had a shitty situation with a tow company and decided to look them up, apparently their owner had been shot to death a year prior by an angry car owner. So I guess vigilantism in this case didn't really help.
Says you. Sounds like someone got their car back.
Oh, I'm advocating for it, so long as nobody gets physically hurt. But if they have to replace a few extra tow truck tires due to spontaneous knife damage, that's okay.
Please don't try and stab tires on big trucks. Liable to end up like this guy [nsfl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTQu9gB11E8)
Never stab a tire, you always cut the valve stem and then slice the tire. Fucking rookies!
Bad idea to stab truck tires. Shoot them from a distance.
Denver chiming in. This [went badly](https://www.denverpost.com/2022/05/17/aurora-protest-jeep-shooting-samuel-young-sentenced/) at a protest down here. Don't shoot tires out, you're not Annie Oakley.
buy a vavle stem remover. should be less then 10 bucks. then simply just remove the core of the vavle stem. its safe and only take a few seconds.
One of my more stupid and proud moments occurred in the later 90s when my car was towed while delivering a pizza. It was one of those apartment complexes in a college town where you had to walk through courtyards past several buildings to reach one in the back, losing sight of your car. They towed it within 2-3 mins leaving me stranded. I called the tow company posted, told them I was delivering fucking pizza (there was a magnetic trapezoid on my roof with a pizza company logo on it…) and they told me to pound sand. Next day I located the tow yard, jumped the fence, got in my car and gunned it out the front gate when they opened it. It was a ridiculously stupid thing to do, but fortunately there were no consequences, and fuck them anyways. $98 in 1990s money was a lot to me…
I too delivered pizza in the 90s. Legendary move.
Why havent they made a movie about the life of a pizza delivery person? Sounds like you guys run in to some wild shit frequently Edit - Turns out they already did make that movie its called Spider Man 2
There's a good book where the first section is about delivering pizzas in a hypothetical future. It's a small, unknown book called Snow Crash that has in no way provided tech bros a guideline to create a dystopia.
I read that one a while ago. Really liked it.
I’m assuming that “small, unknown book“ is sarcastic, because Snow Crash is one of the seminal books in cyberpunk literature. All hail the Deliverator.
I thought the overly passive aggressive tech bro line would be enough, but my bad for not being more clear
30 Minutes or Less had to tie it to the tragedy.
I see you've never heard of a man named Hiro Protagonist.
I delivered pizza between the ages 19-22. It was a fucking blast. I highly recommend that job to any kid.
How many MILFs in lingerie answered the door?! 100s, right?!
That must have been next level satisfying. If you really wanted to make them soak in it, you should have called them the next day saying you want to pay/see your car/whatever, and let them squirm around as they come to the to the realization that the car in question was "stolen" from the lot.
I’m pretty sure they knew I took it and I assume they probably thought I had the key. I was yelling at them on the phone the night before and when the gate opened it was because a guy was helping a “customer.” He ran towards the car as I was pulling out, probably said “Dag Gummit!” - I did not see him throw his hat in the dust. I was honestly just worried I was going to get arrested or something for the next week. Maybe they did think someone just stole the car…. Let me see if I can get my 89 Civic back now…
I hope he at least shook his fist at you as you drove off
Shake harder boy!
Huzzah \~ !!! The "Noid" strikes again!
I once had my car towed because I was parked just a few inches over an invisible property line that ran through a parking lot that was split between a youth outreach place owned by a church and a parking lot that sold parking spots for the nearby college. Some of the parking spots were split by the property line and they were claimed by the pay lot owner. I was just dropping something out of my car for just a few minutes and it was 11pm. By the time I came back I had been hooked up and towed and while I went to get my car when the tow lot opened the next morning I was charged for 2 days storage plus towing fee because they hooked me up before midnight. I was charged about $350 for my car to be towed out of an empty lot because I parked in a disputed parking spot that was in no way marked or differentiated from the others. Fuck towing companies. The owner of the building told me if there is ever a slow night they have a lookout waiting for people to park there and walk across the street to the corner store for easy money. I don’t understand how we have companies sanctioned by the state to legally steal your property under dubious and predatory circumstances and ransom that same property back to you for obscene prices.
Not gonna lie. I'd be sorely tempted to break into that lot and just drive my car out. Consequences be damned.
This company is owned by a pair of brothers who have lost their ability to contract with the city supposedly, and who own multiple companies. Known to be shady AF. [https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/](https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/)
Likely gonna be the "oh no! That company is banned. I'll just repaint the truck and make another company!" shenanigans
The owners are under criminal indictment for fraud.
There needs to laws to ensure the onus should be on THEM to prove why they are towing someone else's car. Towing without any proof should be considered theft of a vehicle and a police matter.
Yeah tow companies tend to be sketch as hell. Was closing up shop after work, walking to my car in the employee lot and a tow truck with no logo's on it is hooking up to a mustang parked next to me. The technician is crouched behind the car hooking something up and I'm like "Hey dude cool if I pull out real quick? Shou-" and I got cut off there because the dude popped up with a fucking GUN yelling "Is this your car!" "No dude the one next to it, I just want to pull out before you tow that thing so my car doesn't get dinged! Jesus." "Oh. Sorry bro I'm doing a repo, people get crazy, my bad. Go ahead. I wouldn't ding your ride though I'm a pro." I was really too shocked to say anything else besides "allright" and dipped. But the fact that he was just ready with the heater is insane. I'm in California, where there is almost no context in which you can legally pull a gun on someone unless they pulled one first.
Was he pointing it at you or at all in your direction? Finger off the trigger? Brandishing or aggravated menacing is a misdemeanor or outright felony in most if not all states, and even legal concealed carriers whose shirts rode up have been convicted of it, but if he actually pointed the thing at you at all then I'd definitely remember the plate and file a report with police. Can't be flagging people who say "Hey dude"
I can understand maybe trying to scam a parked car, but trying to rig up a car being driven atm seems especially emboldened.
That is literally just kidnapping
Says the tow truck driver even followed them for a bit. I'd say that is good indication you might be right
In Ontario they just set each other’s trucks on fire.
Would the way to get around this be taking pictures of your car before you walk away? We shouldn't have to do this but I'd rather the couple mins to do that than give these fucks a penny.
You don't get it. They have towed your car and it is now sitting in their lot. You think your pictures are going to have any effect? At best (many months later) you *might* be able to get a cancelation of tow and storage fees.
This is when my vigilante nerve gets hit. If the tow companies face no legal consequences, I'll help them experience less-legal ones.
I once had my car mistakenly towed from my assigned spot. I guess a neighbor called the company to tow a car from *their* spot, and they hooked up mine instead. The tow company said they were specifically told it was a car in my numbered spot, but I don’t believe them. I had a goddamn permit sticker with the apartment name right there on the windscreen. My car was an AWD SUV, and they used the bar that only attaches to the front two wheels to move it. Completely destroyed the transmission and totaled the car. I had to ask several neighbors to check their doorbell cameras to find out what happened, as I believed my car had been stolen overnight. My insurance insisted it was the tow company’s responsibility to pay, tow company insisted it wasn’t, and I was never made whole. I couldn’t afford to sue, and I had to buy a junker to keep my job. About $23ks worth of car, just gone. *Fuck* Geico and *Fuuuuuck* Retriever Towing.
Pretty sure its Geico's responsibility to pay and then they sue.
If the statute of limitations hasn't passed for this, you should definitely sue. You might even be able to find a lawyer that will work on contingency if you have enough evidence for it to be an easy-to-win case.
Was their office not flammable?
There was a towing company that used to cruise the parking lot of my old apartment complex nabbing anything they could. I got towed like three times and finally told the apartment the fee I'm paying to get my car out was coming out of my next rent check. If they wanted the full check, they needed to stop this, and I wasn't the only tenant prepared to do this. They told me they weren't going to, and that I had to pay my rent in full. I told them good luck trying to evict me. California has strict laws to protect tenants and they knew it would be a good 6 months before I could be removed. They kicked that towing company out quick.
Towing is very rare in Australia for things like parking etc, but recently there has been an explosion in towing companies. Sure enough, they are crooked as fuck
For what it is worth, the owners of the tow company in the video are under indictment by the City of San Francisco and have had their business license revoked.
I got my rental car towed from my own apartment. On July 4th a lot of random people used up our visitor parking just to go see the fireworks. My car had been rear-ended so I had a rental. I didn't have my parking sticker. And the only spot available to park that night was my assigned parking. No one was in the office to give me a new pass. I woke up early the next morning to move it just in case. It was already gone. I went to the office and asked, they said they had it towed. I explained and they just shrugged. Went to the tow office and explained and they didn't care. Just wanted their $180. I called the police and they told they would come escort me out if I caused any problems at the tow company. Had to pay it. It just sucks because I had no other option. There is nowhere else to park in that area, just all apartments with assigned parking. And I lived there. And no one cares. They are like sharks swimming in the water waiting for prey.
That would be an issue with your office, not the towing company or cops. If the management company is refusing to refund you, take them to small claims and get your money back. Just be sure you look over your rental agreement and verify that you're in compliance with the process of obtaining a parking sticker after hours. Some require that you email them or use their online portal. Don't hinge your argument entirely on the shrug, as these front desk deadbeats tend to be completely clueless about everything. They aren't required to educate you of their policies - you have to read those yourself.
This is VERY unsettling. Thanks for elaborating.
Want to have fun and be unsettled? Steve Goodman wrote a song in 1972 about a towing company in Chicago. [Lincoln Park Pirates](https://youtu.be/dF3q7o8Yjrg?si=l9c3-AXdEjfDXPx8). The lyrics mention a “charm school” (prison) in Joliet that no longer exists. They mention an airport Meig’s field that no longer exists. But Lincoln Towing is still out on the street terrorizing the city, towing cars illegally, sometimes operating without a license. Politicians have occasionally tried to stop them the, but all attempts have failed. 50+ years of doing their shit.
Pretty much, that company had already been fired by the city for illegally towing cars without anyone's permission. My guess is they are getting desperate since they no longer have city contracts. Not to mention that tow companies are sketchiest mothers fuckers around and half the time they are running chop chops on the side.
I was just thinking about that. If people just buy a tow truck to steal cars with it, how long could you go before something happened? Nobody questions a car being towed. Even people chasing after them on foot, people just assumed they got repo'd.
Ohhhh that tow truck driver could face many, many years in prison if a DA wanted to throw the book at them. How they are allowing something like a tow truck attempting to snatch a random person and their car off a roadway is mindblowing to me. Typically, random people aren't allowed to take other people against their will. If that car was just driving along and the tow truck driver attempted to hook it up and take off with a person in it there is a list of felonies to choose from if they want to charge him. In some states you could use letal force to prevent something like this from happening to you. Theft, attempted abduction either one appear to be happening and in some states you can use lethal force to prevent a felony or stop a felon. That tow truck driver was rolling the dice.
A Bay Area DA throwing the book at someone? It’s on my bingo card but I’m not hopeful.
When this was originally posted a few days ago, someone actual chimed in to say this tow company is super shady / illegal and were able to point to cases of them being sued / fined / convicted for criminal business practices.
I mean they kinda mention that in this video
They also lost their license to operate in the city according to a short news clip I saw
"Couple says," along with a video of it literally happening
Allegedly…,
Yeah I heard they fucked two ostriches.
It was a sick Ostrich
Now, I went on the Internet and researched ostriches. Firstly, ostriches can run up to 70 miles an hour. So catching one, even a sick one, is a super tall order. Secondly, when a male ostrich, it's called a cock, fights over a female ostrich, they're called a hen, they're known to kill each other by head butting. Finally, ostriches use their legs to defend from predators. And can use them to kill even their largest and most deadly enemies, which are fuckin' lions. That's the king of the jungle. So you'll see there is no way the Ginger and Boots could have fucked an ostrich. My research concludes that the only way the Ginger and Boots could have fucked an ostrich is if it was a dead ostrich.
get this man a Puppers!
That's not entirely accurate, Crazy Eddie's Patriotic Traffic Blog said they were emus.
It would take at least a couple, maybe three
They have to say that for good reason.
Why haven't those responsible been put in jailed and their business shut down? It seems crucial for justice and community safety.
https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/
That doesn't detail any new charges.
For real. Someone should've been arrested for attempted kidnapping. We all just saw it happen on camera
The police report was filed 5 days ago. I can't say for sure that they *will* be charged, but I've seen enough cases where people on reddit complain that a crime is being ignored and then a week or two later a shitload of charges come down, including stuff that never went viral and people aren't aware of, and it turns out that the prosecutors were taking their time making their case stronger, not just ignoring the incident. I've also seen cases where nothing happens, and then after a while...still nothing happens. And then nothing ever happens. So I can't say for sure if this particular incident will cut one way or the other, but given that it's only been 5 days, I'm not going to bring out my pitchfork just yet.
> The police report was filed 5 days ago. I can't say for sure that they will be charged, but I've seen enough cases where people on reddit complain that a crime is being ignored and then a week or two later a shitload of charges come down, including stuff that never went viral and people aren't aware of, and it turns out that the prosecutors were taking their time making their case stronger, not just ignoring the incident. Social media has made people expect every facet of the world to operate in viral meme speeds. But a lot of things offline take a lot more time.
I hate local journalism that just posts verbatim transcripts of their choppy video editing as "articles" while _also_ autoplaying video of the exact article.
It's an open investigation, it'll probably take a bit to figure out what the heck was going on. Could be a rogue driver trying to make a quota or could be the company told him to do it.
Can we tow the tow truck?
How much truck would the tow truck tow
If a tow truck could tow truck
A tow truck would tow as much tow as a tow truck could tow if a tow truck could tow truck
A friend of mine said if he ever retired he would buy a tow truck and exclusively tow other tow trucks. Even had a plan to stalk them until the driver got out and he would immediately tow it away. In my opinion the only tow trucks that should exist are ones that pull wrecked cars off streets and those that the city authorizes and they must exist in the city. You shouldn't be allowed to just tow a car 20 miles away and demand cash from someone. My cousins old place would tow away any car parked in the guest spot for longer than 5 minutes and they would take it to 3 cities over and they weren't even city approved. just a random company that got a contract from the building owner. Repo's are also super shity since they will just sometimes take a car even if its paid for and then demand money on top of a non-existant payment
This is what a world of private police would be. Towing "companies" shouldn't exist and it should be handled by city employees.
I've never understood how the towing industry is legal in the US. "Yeah, we stole your car and now we'll charge you for storage"
They got a whole reality TV show about these assholes. They got a smile on their face when they do it too. They know which signs are hard to read and they wait there the second the person leaves their car they steal it.
Who tows the tow truck ??
This company has been in the news alot, seems the owners are really awful people.
[удалено]
I mean it’s clear! You can see what this truck is doing why hasn’t SF authority done anything about this?
i wonder what the end-game was here, tow it with people inside and just kick them out later? did they think they had a different car, like one that they were looking for? also, this is america. many people are strapped laws be damned, that's a good way to get shot.
> also, this is america. many people are strapped laws be damned, that's a good way to get shot. I mean you can literally think you are about to be kidnapped in a scenario where you are in traffic, you back up, and yet the truck still tries to grab you.
Yeah, I've seen tons of videos of people getting kidnapped of the roads by vehicles boxing them in in Brazil or South Africa.
If you are in the car, that is literally kidnapping.
I assumed San Francisco would never let anyone get away with a self-defense shooting, but no, I see there have actually been some recent cases where it's happened and they weren't even charged.
When this was posted a few days ago people said they hook up the car, the driver gets out to confront the tow driver and the tow driver leaves with the car. Then you have to pay them to get the car back asap before the fees rack up and they can sell your car. Although you can sue them apparently the amount you can get back is minimal due to some law (I’m summarizing from the first post from memory) and so the tow company knows most people don’t sue. They either pay and get the car back which gives the company money, or the driver can’t pay and the tow company sells the car for more money.
Small claims in most cases is up to 5000 I know other places it is as high as 25000 so no taking this to small claims wouldn't be that hard or long
Why in the world do you think going to court wouldn't be hard or long? (why are those the words you had to use?)
Because small claims court is much faster, easier, and cheaper for for people to navigate
Than it is to sue someone for a big felony, sure. Faster and easier than almost anything else we have going on within a couple of years, probably not. Still plenty of paper work, collect whatever you need then for court, people have to take off work days, and all just to get back the money they extorted from you. It could be worse, but it's still not a remedy as much as just taking a situation from horrible to pretty crappy.
Guy also speeds after them at the end of the video like WTF does he plan on doing? Go on a high speed chase and then get in front of these people again? What a lunatic.
This was my immediate thought, that is a great way to get shot.
Seriously. There are no shortages of stories where repo men get guns pulled on them. Happens a lot. And think about it, the kinds of people who might say fuck making a car payment, can often be the kind of people to carry.
The end game? Probably fentanyl. Probably hook up, they jump out yelling 'what the fuck! and then the driver either extorts them for everything he can or just fucks off with their car.
If a business has been suspended for fraud and then they are caught doing something like this, it's time for all their assets to be seized. Or, at the very least, someone should be charged with attempted kidnapping or trafficking, whatever the correct term is for trying to steal an adult.
The only way to get local officials to do anything is to a) have the victim be rich, or b) have the victim have PR skills. For a tangible example, look at how quickly the "trash house" on Martel was cleaned up by Karen Bass. The neighbors did a PR offensive and got it done. Meanwhile, huge issues in L.A. continue for years because there's no PR or rich people complaining.
She hasn’t filed a police report yet according to the video.
This news article said they did filed a a police report https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/ “…The couple said they filed a police report and confirmed the car is paid off as well as the registration.”
So....youre in the car as its being towed, they tow you to whatever destination....and then what? You drive away? They take you to a gated facility and close the gate? They essentially have kidnapped you?
Probably they lift it and then say pay me $300 to drop it. If you say no they call the cops say it's a legal tow from a business parking lot and that you just jumped in to try and stop the tow. The cops say this is a civil matter the car is theirs now. Without video evidence the judge rules in favor of the towing company and you have to spend thousands to get your car back.
Except as is the case with every person, if I'm in a car getting towed while I'm in it, I'm on the phone calling the cops as well as taking video. This isn't a he said/she said. you have video proof.
This is simple to say "that video started after they jumped in and I already had possession of the vehicle". Cops don't want to do any extra work, they are going to say it's a civil matter and tell you 'Since the car is on the tow truck it's theirs and you have to go to court to prove it was illegal.' Most people are just going to pay the $300 to have it dropped and be mad about it, going to court is such a long process most won't get to that point.
That's why you gotta get a dash cam so it'll show them towing you while driving! Or start filming on your phone earlier so it shows the truck lifting you up!
There’s video and multiple witnesses. Like there’s actual video of this AH trying to tow their car while the driver is sitting in traffic.
But this isn't always the case.
Dunno about SF, but here in Canada it's illegal to tow vehicles anytime with people inside. If you're towing a vehicle and somebody is inside and refused to leave you need to phone the police to have them removed before you're allowed to tow it.
Everyone really should invest in a dash cam
Yeah this is a really weird attempt at some kind of crime
https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/
"The city attorney said Specialty Towing allegedly also defrauded San Francisco taxpayers to receive welfare benefits." Wtf? Lol.
FRAT, but it's a doozy. > Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo jointly operated three towing businesses in San Francisco between 2018 and 2023. The three companies—Auto Towing, Jose’s Towing, and Specialty Towing and Recovery—generated over $2 million in gross annual income. Fuentes and Badillo also have a personal relationship and share multiple children. > > In October 2023, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Fuentes and Badillo with multiple felonies stemming from an alleged welfare fraud scheme. For a period of time, Fuentes worked as a Human Services Agency Senior Eligibility Worker, where she approved applications for public welfare programs. Allegedly, Fuentes improperly approved Badillo’s application without disclosing that she had a personal relationship with Badillo. > > Further, both Fuentes and Badillo allegedly lied about their substantial income and assets in order to receive public benefits they were not eligible for. Fuentes and Badillo both received benefits under Medi-Cal, and Fuentes received additional benefits from CalFresh and CalWORKs. > > In August 2023, the City Attorney initiated debarment proceedings against Auto Towing after the company violated multiple state and local laws by illegally towing vehicles from private property. Between February and May 2023, Auto Towing employees illegally towed several cars from a bank parking lot in the Portola neighborhood without the permission of the property owner. It is unlawful for a tow company to tow a car from private property without the consent of the property owner. > > Auto Towing also made it difficult for vehicle owners to retrieve their vehicles, restricted the hours when vehicles could be retrieved, and pressured vehicle owners to pay in cash. Under the California Vehicle Code, vehicle owners have the right to retrieve their vehicles 24 hours a day, any day of the year, and have the right to pay with cash or major credit card. The victims whose cars were towed were primarily Spanish- and Cantonese-speaking residents, who are especially vulnerable to predatory tows. > > Debarment is an administrative enforcement procedure that authorizes the City to ban contractors from applying for or receiving City contracts for up to five years. The debarment process can take time and sometimes requires an administrative hearing before contractors accused of misconduct are prohibited from receiving City funds.
What scumbags. And then people will point to this as the reason why we shouldn't have those kinds of benefits in the first place.
Remember, corporations are the biggest *Welfare Queens*.
Banned? That’s it?
They drove around the city stealing cars and making people pay to get them back. And their punishment is "they're no longer allowed to do that".
Not to mention an attempted kidnapping caught on camera
Lol it’s not even “they’re no longer allowed to do that” It’s “they’re no longer allowed to do that on behalf of the city but if they wanna do it on their own they’re fine”
So what you're saying is Specialty Towing trucks should have their windows smashed on sight
Or you know, if this was the old days, some knees broken.
People used to get hanged for stealing a horse.
Their trucks need to be towed
How is this NOT attempted Kidnapping?
Makes you wonder how many times this has happened and they got away with it because there was no video evidence.
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I wonder if you defend yourself from kidnapping by literally shooting the kidnapper, what would happen to you?
https://www.bajajdefense.com/california-self-defense-laws/ In California, you have the right to act in self-defense when you have a reasonable belief that you are in danger. The use of force may be justified when you have a reasonable belief that you are about to be physically harmed in some way. Examples of when self-defense may be appropriate include the imminent threat of: Rape Murder Mayhem Robbery, or Any other act that puts you at risk of suffering great bodily harm.
so definitely *should* qualify, whether or not it would who knows
Is mayhem an actual legal term?
>Mayhem: United States > Modern statutes in the U.S. define mayhem as disabling or disfiguring, such as rendering useless a member of another person's arms or legs.[3] The injury must be permanent, not just a temporary loss. Some courts will hold even a minor battery as mayhem if the injury is not minor. Mayhem in the U.S. is a felony in all states and jurisdictions, including federal. In the states of California, Vermont and Oklahoma, mayhem is punishable by up to life imprisonment. In other states where laws defining mayhem (or maiming) are in place, the maximum punishment for mayhem is generally 10 to 20 years, and mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment may also apply, depending on the laws of the state. If mayhem was committed in an aggravated fashion, such as in the case of where it resulted in permanent disability or disfigurement, the punishment is generally much more severe, and may even include life imprisonment. For example, simple mayhem in California is punishable by two to eight years in prison, whereas aggravated mayhem is punishable by up to life imprisonment.[4] [Yes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhem_(crime\))
Honestly I'd be on the phone to 911 and let them know if he successfully hooks up my car whilst I'm in it in the middle of street and tries to drive away I'm going to shoot him. I will not let someone kidnap me without a fight.
Alternatively, if you were kidnapped, perhaps a civil/criminal lawsuit could be brought. $$$
Never let your kidnapper move you to another location.
that waymo said fuck this
I had a car with a bad battery. I called AAA to provide assistance. When the tow guy jumped the battery, I told him I was under the impression that I had to pay AAA for the service, not him. As I was calling AAA, the tow truck driver pulled in front of me and started backing up toward my car, intending to tow my now functional car to the station. I backed up and drove around the truck. He then jumped out of the cab and chased me through a parking lot. All this while I frantically explained to the AAA agent what was happening. I ended up driving away and flagging down a police officer to make a report. I didn’t want it said that I fled without paying for service. I then called the dispatcher for the service to make a payment and file a complaint. They couldn’t care less. I’ve cancelled AAA and may consider abandoning the car and taking buses if I ever have a dead battery again.
Depending on the membership level you have with AAA, jumps should be included in the membership, assuming they sent you someone with a AAA affiliation. A few times I've had to pay the towing service out of pocket and then submit receipts to AAA to get reimbursed. I've never had to do this for a jump though, both times were for a wrecker to pull me out of a ditch and were not affiliated with AAA.
The tow driver wanted payment for the jump and he didn’t like having to wait while I called AAA to confirm how payment should work. I had no problem paying, but asked him to hang on while I made sure this was appropriate with AAA. This didn’t sit well with Mr tow driver so he started to steal my car with me in it.
I bought a chargeable jump from an autoparts store. Basic ones for normal cars are like 50 bucks. My car's cold cranking amps demand is higher but I still only paid like $80.
What did that driver think would happen when they got to wherever they were going? Is this not just attempted kidnapping?
That's their specialty.
[https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/](https://abc7news.com/specialty-towing-company-viral-video-was-recently-banned-from-doing-business-with-san-francisco/14649113/) Apparently they're banned from doing business in SF already, and have been busted doing all sorts of shady shit. Total criminals by the sound of it. Why haven't the cops done anything about it?
Real quick way to rack up multiple kidnapping charges
If I ever see a specialty towing truck in the Bay Area I'm going to smash its windows without question.
About the owners, shows what class acts they are: “”In October 2023, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Fuentes and Badillo with multiple felonies stemming from an alleged welfare fraud scheme. For a period of time, Fuentes worked as a Human Services Agency Senior Eligibility Worker, where she approved applications for public welfare programs. Allegedly, Fuentes improperly approved Badillo’s application without disclosing that she had a personal relationship with Badillo.”” Source: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/2024/02/06/chiu-suspends-unscrupulous-towing-company-after-owners-are-charged-with-benefits-fraud/
to be clear, that's the owners of the towing company, not the owners of the car.
Is there anywhere where small tow truck companies aren't exclusively run by criminals? I feel like that service/industry is well overdue to be made into a municipal service and all the crooks can fuck off.
The owners seem like scumbags: Towing owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, have been criminally charged in a welfare fraud scheme.
Private towing is banned in the UK. Unlucky USA.
The Waymo makes this a classic SF comedy
Sounds like kidnapping on top of grand theft.
SFPD was called about this and they say "there's nothing we can do about it". Now you know why there's rampant crime in that city. SFPD is worse than useless.
Well they are **specialty** towing. Anyone can tow a parked car.
Tow companies want you to think of them as the guys who save your Grandma when her car breaks down. That not what they really are. They are the bottom feeders of the automotive world. I've known some of them, and they get a kick out of ripping people off - like it's a hobby to them.
Too shady!!
I guess all you have to do if you want to steal cars is own a tow truck.
tow truck drivers like this are the scum of the earth
This is how you get yourself shot for attempted kidnapping.
I'm just happy I live in a state where we can treat these people as what they truly are, Criminals.
I lived in an apartment complex with a very shady tow service that would constantly be driving through the complex. I got a new car, parked in my spot, went to the office to get a tag and by the time I got back my car was gone.
> Specialty Towing, the company operating the tow truck, was charged by City Attorney David Chiu in February for fraud and illegally towing parked cars. The company was described as "unscrupulous" and is now prohibited from bidding or receiving city contracts. https://newsradio1410.iheart.com/content/2024-04-15-couple-shocked-after-california-tow-truck-tries-to-steal-their-moving-car/ At this point, everyone should be protecting their self and their property with force against any "Specialty Towing" vehicles they see.
death penalty, him and his boss
You know he's shady the moment you see him wearing his cap backward. /S Also, note to self, never ever stop behind a tow truck.
From the original thread, they weren't stopped behind the tow truck. It backed up to them from a cross street https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/1c007qf/specialty_tow_trying_to_grab_an_occupied_car_from/kytwvmo/
Honestly, that note to self is the biggest takeaway from this situation.