Specialty Towing firm in viral video was lately banned from doing enterprise with San Francisco, metropolis lawyer says
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – Police are investigating why a tow truck in San Francisco attempted to snatch a moving vehicle with people inside.
On Thursday we will learn new details about the towing company.
It was a terrible experience that Joanne and her husband are still coming to terms with.
“We freaked out, called, rolled down the window and said, 'Hey, what are you doing? You can't do that,'” Joanne said.
EXCLUSIVE: Couple shocked after tow truck tries to grab their moving car in San Francisco
An East Bay couple describes the horrific turn of events when a tow truck attempted to tow them while they were driving through downtown San Francisco.
A yellow tow truck backed up and tried to hook up her vehicle. Joanne said they were waiting at a red light in San Francisco.
“He started reversing, his lever came down and basically he was just reversing and trying to cling to our car,” Joanne said.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu confirmed that the towing company Specialty Towing was already known to his agency for violating state law prior to this incident.
“This company appears to be the same towing company that my office previously requested be suspended and barred from city contracts,” Chiu said.
After watching the video, Chiu said the latest incident was illegal.
“It could likely violate a number of laws – possibly even criminal ones,” Chiu said. “The fact that we've once again seen this company violate the law is unfortunately not surprising, but the video is shocking nonetheless.”
Prior to this incident, the city had received complaints from several victims who allegedly had been defrauded by Specialty Towing.
MORE: New program in San Francisco sends you a text message when your car is towed
The city subsequently banned Specialty Towing and two other towing companies under the same ownership from cooperating with the city in enforcing parking laws.
“Specialty Towing is an affiliate of a company called Auto Towing. They are basically all part of the same company. Auto Towing was illegally towing cars from a private property without getting permission from the property owner. In addition, they strictly limited the times cars could be picked up and pressured owners to pay in cash,” Chiu said.
ABC7 News called the Specialty Towing phone number listed on one of the trucks and the employee hung up. We went to Auto Towing in Bayview and looked for answers.
We were told over the phone that Auto Towing is no longer in business and the person on the phone said they are not affiliated with Specialty Towing.
The SFPD is now calling on other victims to come forward.
“It's crazy. We ask victims to contact the police immediately if something like this has happened to them,” said Officer Paulina Henderson of the San Francisco Police Department.
The prosecutor said Specialty Towing also allegedly defrauded San Francisco taxpayers to receive welfare benefits.
In this case, it is still unclear why the couple was targeted. The couple said they filed a report with police and confirmed that the car and registration were paid off.
If you use the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.
