A tow truck driver in San Francisco attempted to tow a car while the driver was still inside.
The bright yellow tow truck, with the name ‘Specialty Towing’ plastered in lime green, was captured on video trying to snatch a silver Toyota sedan before the vehicles sped away.
In February, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu suspended Specialty Towing after owners Abigail Fuentes and José Badillo were found to be claiming government donations and defrauding customers.
The owners, described by the city attorney’s office as a couple with “a personal relationship” and “several children,” pocketed about $2 million from their scams and used the money to buy a Lamborghini, according to the documents. .
Chiu suspended a total of three towing companies in the area: Auto Towing, Jose’s Towing and Specialty Towing and Recovery, all operated by Abigail and Jose.
“Auto Towing intentionally deceived and defrauded people out of hundreds of dollars by illegally towing cars and making them difficult to recover,” Chiu said.
A tow truck driver in San Francisco was seen on video trying to tow a car while the driver was still inside
In February, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu suspended Specialty Towing after owners Abigail Fuentes and José Badillo were found to be claiming government donations and defrauding customers.
The bright yellow tow truck is seen driving away behind the car after it attempted to snatch the vehicle and driver from the street.
Video of the recent encounter shows the Toyota slowing down by backing up as the tow truck attempts to latch onto the front underside of the car.
As the truck continues to back up, the sedan does the same, as the two drivers go back and forth before the person recording yells, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’
The tow truck driver backs up again when the silver car manages to free itself, turns to the right and speeds away.
The tow truck quickly follows and the two vehicles drive away through the intersection as the video ends.
It’s unclear exactly when or where this happened, but an X user posted the video on Tuesday.
The caption read: ‘Specialty tow attempts to take occupied car from travel lane on Bush St in San Francisco. WTF?? ‘
DailyMail.com has contacted Specialty Towing for comment.
Juan Fuentes, CEO of Auto Towing, was also suspended along with Abigail and José, according to the legal complaint.
The city attorney said the company illegally towed cars, limited the times vehicles could be picked up and “pressured” car owners to pay cash.
It’s unclear exactly when or where this happened, but an X user posted the video on Tuesday and it happened on Bush Street in the Bay Area.
The city previously accused the towing company of illegally towing cars, limiting the times vehicles could be picked up and “pressuring” car owners to pay cash.
The company was also accused of illegally towing cars from the parking lot of a private bank in Portola without the owner’s permission.
“It is illegal for a towing company to tow a car from private property without the owner’s consent,” Chiu said.
The city cited that under the California Vehicle Code, owners have the right to pick up their vehicles year-round, at any time, and can pay for them in cash or credit card.
“The victims whose cars were towed were primarily Spanish- and Cantonese-speaking residents, who are especially vulnerable to predatory towing,” he added.
It was discovered that Jose purchased a home in Bayview for $1.2 million, another home in Excelsior for $815,000, and his luxury sports car for $280,000, according to court documents.
The city attorney’s office said that in October 2023, Abigail and José were charged with multiple felonies after they were found to be caught up in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme.”
The city attorney’s office said that in October 2023, the owners, Abigail Fuentes and José Badillo, were charged with multiple felonies after they were found to be caught up in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme.” “.
“For a time, Fuentes worked as a senior eligibility worker for the Human Services Agency, where she approved applications for public welfare programs,” Chiu said.
The city attorney’s office said Abigail “improperly approved” her partner’s request and failed to mention that they shared a personal relationship.
“In addition, both Fuentes and Badillo allegedly lied about their significant income and assets to receive public benefits to which they were not entitled.”
“Fuentes and Badillo received Medi-Cal benefits, and Fuentes received additional CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits,” the city attorney’s office wrote.
In March, Auto Towing submitted a request for the city to grant them authorization to provide “towing and roadside assistance services as needed” for city-owned vehicles.
According to the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, the towing company was not allowed access.