SAN FRANCISCO — A California couple is detailing the terrifying turn of events when a tow truck tried to tow them while driving through downtown San Francisco earlier this week.
“We were at a stoplight and minding our own business,” said Joanne, who only provided her first name. She described running errands with her husband 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 was getting too close for comfort.
“He came from the side. I thought he was turning right. He started in reverse, and all the lights came on. That’s when we were like, ‘hey, something’s really wrong. His lever was coming down,'” she said.
In video taken by a witness, the tow truck can be seen making several attempts to hook onto their 2017 Toyota Corolla.
A witness can be heard on video screaming “What the f**k are you doing!”
When the light turns green, the Waymo next to Joanne and her husband drives off. The couple then realize they’re stuck in front of a black sedan.
“We were freaking out. The first instinct was to get away,” Joanne said.
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Fortunately, the black car backs up, and Joanne’s husband is able to drive away. The tow truck then begins to chase them for several blocks.
“It’s definitely really scary,” said Joanne, who looks back at the incident and wonders what would have happened if the tow truck was successful in hooking onto their car.
ABC San Francisco affiliate KGO reached out to Special Towing via email and phone, but did not hear back.
The company, along with two others, were charged by City Attorney David Chiu in February for fraud and illegally towing parked cars. His office described the company as “unscrupulous” in an online news release. Specialty Towing is now prohibited from bidding or receiving city contracts.
Joanne and her husband said they were eventually able to lose the tow truck, and drove back home to the East Bay. They maintain they didn’t do anything wrong, and are still perplexed as to why they were targeted.
“Full disclaimer: I definitely paid off my car. I paid my registration,” she said.
Joanne is planning to file a police report soon, and is sharing their story to raise awareness for other drivers.
“Be more careful when they’re driving around and making sure if something doesn’t look right, make sure you do your best to protect yourself,” she said.
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