San Francisco Tow Truck Seems To Strive To Snatch A Automotive That Somebody Is Actively Driving, And It is Weird
I realize this story is a few days old, and while I'm not sure I have any particular insight to add to it, I think it's worth showing and discussing, because what the hell is this? As far as I can tell, this is what happened: A couple was slowly driving through San Francisco traffic in their 2017 Toyota Corolla when a yellow tow truck with SPECIALTY TOWING's livery did something unexpected: It apparently attempted to tow the couple's car while they were driving it. That would be, um, that would be hijacking, wouldn't it? Whatever it is, it looks very wrong, and it's very disturbing that it was even attempted.
The couple, who do not want to publicly share their last name, according to ABC 7 Los Angeles, were out running normal errands on April 9. When they stopped at a stoplight, the two drove behind the tow truck from Specialty Towing, which they thought might be in the area to tow a Waymo robotaxi stopped on the side of the road. But the tow truck seemed more interested in human cars, a proclivity known as “The Most Dangerous Game.” The truck extended its low-mounted wheel jacks and backed into the Corolla to grab the car and tow it away. From the news outlet:
“He came from the side. I thought he was turning right. He was backing up and all the lights came on. That's when we thought, 'Hey, something's wrong. His lever came down,'” she said.
A video taken by a witness shows the tow truck making several attempts to attach itself to the 2017 Toyota Corolla.
The driver of the Corolla backed up, but a car behind him blocked his path. As can be seen in the video, the tow truck continued to try to grab the Corolla, and eventually the car behind the Toyota was able to swerve, giving the Corolla enough room to back up and escape.
Luckily, a witness caught the whole thing on video, and it almost feels like a scene from a nature show where you're rooting for the little rodent to escape the big lizard, or something like that:
This is all very concerning because what is the tow truck driver up to here? When you watch the video, it is clear that the tow truck driver is trying to catch the car. Joanne, the woman in the Toyota seen in the video, points out that her car's payments and registration are all up to date, but even if they weren't, to my knowledge there is no law in this country that would make it okay to pick someone up and lock them in their car while their vehicle is being towed.
The truck gives chase after the Corolla speeds away, which makes things even stranger. Why is he so fixated on the car? And what could his plan have been if he had managed to hook it to the trailer hitch? The Corolla is front-wheel drive, so theoretically he could have towed it. Where to? Back to the tow yard? To essentially pay back the car to its owners, who were unwillingly taken away with the car? This all sounds like a crime.
Was this a case of incorrect car identification? I tried reaching Specialty Towing both directly and through their dispatch service and although they did not respond through their direct line, the dispatcher told me they would forward my message to them, but I don't think I'll hold my breath.
It's probably worth noting that the owners of Specialty Towing have been charged with welfare fraud by the San Francisco City Attorney (see the City Attorney's website) and that the company is currently barred from bidding on city contracts.
I know there are many stories about shady towing companies doing pretty lousy and underhanded things, but this is certainly the first time I've heard of a tow truck apparently attempting to steal a runnable car with passengers right off the street.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, I wonder what the best thing to do is. If there is space, reversing is certainly the first, best and most instinctive thing to do, but what if you can't reverse? Can turning the front wheels completely to one side or the other interfere with the connection of those control arms? If your parking brake is on, will the control arms be pulled away? Honestly, I'm not sure, but if this sort of thing keeps happening, maybe we should see an expert and do some testing.
Whatever the case, this is terrible and I think we should all be aware of it.
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