In San Francisco, a tow truck driver attempted to drive away a car while the driver was still inside.
The bright yellow tow truck, bearing the name “Specialty Towing” in lime green, was filmed trying to wrench a silver Toyota sedan before the vehicles fled.
In February, Specialty Towing was suspended by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu after owners Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo claimed government aid and defrauded customers.
The owners, described by the city attorney’s office as a couple with “a personal relationship” and “multiple children,” pocketed about $2 million from their scams and used the money to buy a Lamborghini, according to reports. documents.
Chiu suspended a total of three towing companies in the area: Auto Towing, Jose’s Towing and Specialty Towing and Recovery, all of which were operated by Abigail and Jose.
“Auto Towing intentionally misled people and caused them to lose hundreds of dollars by illegally towing cars and making them difficult to recover,” Chiu said.
A tow truck driver in San Francisco was seen in a video trying to drag a car away while the driver was still inside.
In February, Specialty Towing was suspended by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu after owners Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo were demanding government aid and defrauding customers.
The bright yellow tow truck is seen driving away after the car after attempting to pry the vehicle and driver from the street.
Video of the recent encounter shows the Toyota slowing in reverse as the tow truck tries to grab onto the bottom of the front of the car.
As the truck continues to back up, so does the sedan, as the two drivers pace back and forth before the person recording shouts, “What the hell are you doing?”
The tow truck driver then backs up again as the silver car manages to free itself, pulls to the right and drives away.
The tow truck quickly follows them and the two vehicles drive away through the intersection at the end of the video.
It’s unclear when or where exactly this happened, but a user on X posted the video on Tuesday.
The caption read: “Specialty Towing attempting to recover an occupied car in the traffic lane of 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 Jose, according to the court complaint.
The city attorney said the company was illegally towing cars, limiting vehicle pickup times and “pressuring” car owners to pay cash.
It’s not clear when or where it happened, but a user on X posted the video on Tuesday and it happened on Bush Street in the Bay Area.
The towing company had previously been accused by the city of illegally towing cars, limiting vehicle recovery times and “pressuring” car owners to pay cash.
The company was also accused of illegally towing cars from a private bank parking lot 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 said that under the California Vehicle Code, owners have the right to pick up their vehicle year-round, at any time, and can pay for it with cash or credit card.
“The victims whose cars were towed were primarily Spanish-speaking and Cantonese residents, who are particularly vulnerable to predatory towings,” he added.
Jose was found to have purchased a home in Bayview for $1.2 million, another home in Excelsior for $815,000 and his luxury sports car worth $280,000, according to court documents.
The city attorney’s office said that in October 2023, Abigail and Jose were charged with multiple crimes after being found involved in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme.”
The city attorney’s office said that in October 2023, the owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, were charged with multiple crimes after being found involved in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme.”
“For a time, Fuentes worked as a senior eligibility officer for a social services agency, where she approved applications for public welfare programs,” Chiu said.
The city attorney’s office said Abigail “inappropriately approved” her partner’s request and did not mention that they shared a personal relationship.
“Furthermore, Fuentes and Badillo allegedly lied about their substantial income and assets in order to receive public benefits to which they were not entitled.”
“Both Fuentes and Badillo received benefits under Medi-Cal, and Fuentes received additional benefits from CalFresh and CalWORKs,” the city attorney’s office wrote.
In March, Auto Towing submitted a request to the city for permission to provide “towing services and roadside assistance as needed” for city-owned vehicles.
The towing company was not granted access, according to the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office.
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