A tow truck driver in San Francisco tried to tow a car while the driver was still inside.
The bright yellow tow truck, with the name “Specialty Towing” written on it in lime green, was captured on video trying to grab a silver Toyota sedan before the vehicles sped away.
In February, Specialty Towing was suspended by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu after it emerged that its owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, were claiming government subsidies and defrauding customers.
The owners, described by the city attorney’s office as a married couple with “a personal relationship” and “several children,” pocketed about $2 million and used the money to buy a Lamborghini, the documents said.
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 deliberately deceived and defrauded people of hundreds of dollars by illegally towing cars and making them difficult to recover,” Chiu said.
In one video, a tow truck driver in San Francisco was seen attempting to tow a car while the driver was still inside
In February, Specialty Towing was suspended by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu after it emerged that its owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, were claiming government subsidies and defrauding customers.
The bright yellow tow truck is seen chasing the car after it tried to snatch the vehicle and driver off the street
Video of the recent encounter shows the Toyota slowing to reverse as the tow truck tries to grab the underside of the car.
As the truck continues to reverse, the sedan does the same, as the two drivers drive back and forth before the person recording screams, “What the fuck are you doing?”
The tow truck driver then reverses again as the silver car manages to break free, pulls to the right and drives away.
The tow truck quickly follows behind and the two vehicles drive away through the intersection as the video ends.
It’s unclear exactly when and where this happened, but a user on X posted the video on Tuesday.
The caption read: “Specialty Towing attempts to grab an occupied car from the lane on Bush St in San Francisco. WTF??’
DailyMail.com contacted Specialty Towing for comment.
According to the legal complaint, Auto Towing CEO Juan Fuentes was suspended along with Abigail and Jose.
The city attorney said the company illegally towed cars, limited the times vehicles could be picked up and “pressured” car owners to pay in cash.
It’s unclear exactly when and where this happened, but a user on
The towing company was previously accused by the city of illegally towing cars, limiting the times vehicles could be picked up, and “pressuring” car owners to pay in cash.
The company was also accused of illegally towing cars from a private bank parking lot in Portola without permission from the property owner.
“It is unlawful for a towing company to tow a car from a private property without the permission of the property owner,” Chiu said.
The city cited that under the California Vehicle Code, owners have the right to pick up their vehicles year-round and at any time and can pay for them with cash or credit card.
“The victims whose cars were towed were primarily Spanish and Cantonese-speaking residents, who are particularly vulnerable to predatory towing operations,” he added.
Court documents revealed that Jose bought a house in Bayview for $1.2 million, another house in Excelsior for $815,000, and his luxury sports car worth $280,000.
The city attorney’s office said Abigail and Jose were charged with multiple crimes in October 2023 after they were found to be involved in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme.”
The city attorney’s office said the owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, were charged with multiple felonies in October 2023 after they were found to be involved in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme.”
“For a time, Fuentes served 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 “erroneously approved” her partner’s application and failed to mention that they had a personal relationship.
“Further, both Fuentes and Badillo are alleged to have lied about their substantial income and assets in order to receive public benefits for which they were ineligible.”
“Fuentes and Badillo both received benefits under Medi-Cal, and Fuentes received additional benefits from CalFresh and CalWORKs,” the city attorney wrote.
In March, Auto Towing submitted a request to the city to allow it to provide “as-needed towing and roadside assistance” for city vehicles.
The towing company was denied access, according to the San Francisco city attorney’s office.