SAN FRANCISCO — A California couple is detailing the horrific turn of events when a tow truck attempted to tow them away as they drove through downtown San Francisco earlier this week.

“We were at a stoplight minding our own business,” said Joanne, who gave only her first name. She described running errands with her husband on Tuesday morning.

While the couple was stopped, they thought the yellow Specialty Towing truck was moving toward a nearby Waymo autonomous vehicle. But soon it became too close for comfort.

“It came from the side. I thought he was turning right. It started in reverse and all the lights came on. We thought, 'Hey, something's really wrong. His lever fell down,'” she said.

In a video captured by a witness, the tow truck can be seen making multiple attempts to attach itself to his 2017 Toyota Corolla.

On video, a witness can be heard shouting: “What the hell are you doing?”

When the traffic light turns green, the Waymo drives off alongside Joanne and her husband. Then the couple realizes that they are stuck in front of a black limousine.

“We completely freaked out. The first instinct was to get away,” Joanne said.

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Luckily, the black car reverses and Joanne's husband can drive away. Then the tow truck begins chasing them for several blocks.

“It's definitely really scary,” said Joanne, who looks back on the incident and wonders what would have happened if the tow truck had managed to attach itself to her car.

ABC San Francisco affiliate KGO reached out to Special Towing via email and phone but received no response.

The company, along with two other companies, was indicted by prosecutor David Chiu in February on charges of fraud and illegal towing of parked cars. His office called the company “unscrupulous” in an online press release. Specialty Towing is now prohibited from offering or accepting city contracts.

Joanne and her husband said they were eventually able to get rid of the tow truck and drove back home to the East Bay. They claim they did nothing wrong and are still baffled as to why they were targeted.

“Full disclaimer: I definitely paid off my car. I paid for my admission,” she said.

Joanne plans to file a police report soon and is sharing her story to make other drivers aware.

“Be more careful when they're driving around and make sure you do your best to protect yourself if something doesn't look right,” she said.

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