San Francisco tow truck tries to haul away car with driver still inside: Beleaguered business owners who have previously been cited for claiming government handouts while buying a Lamborghini

A tow truck driver in San Francisco tried to tow a car away while the driver was still inside.

The bright yellow tow truck, with the name ‘Specialty Towing’ plastered across it in lime green, was caught 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 the owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, were found to be claiming government handouts 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 scam and used the money to buy a Lamborghini, documents said.

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 has intentionally misled and cheated people out of hundreds of dollars by illegally towing cars and making them difficult to retrieve,” Chiu said.

In February, Specialty Towing was suspended by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu after the owners, Abigail Fuentes and Jose Badillo, were found to be demanding government handouts and defrauding customers

The bright yellow tow truck is seen driving away after the car after it tried to grab the vehicle and driver off the street

Video of the recent encounter shows the Toyota braking in reverse as the tow truck tries to lock onto the lower front of the car.

As the truck continues to reverse, the sedan does the same as the two drivers back and forth before the person recording screams, ‘What the hell are you doing?’

The tow truck driver then reverses again as the silver car manages to break free, pulls 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 it happened, but a user on X posted the video on Tuesday.

The caption read: ‘Specialty Towing trying to get an occupied car from the roadway on Bush St in San Francisco. WTF??’

DailyMail.com contacted Specialty Towing for comment.

Juan Fuentes, CEO of Auto Towing, was also suspended along with Abigail and Jose, according to the legal complaint.

The city’s 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 or where this happened, but a user on X posted the video on Tuesday and happened on Bush Street in the Bay Area

The towing company was previously accused by the city of illegally towing cars, limiting the times when 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 illegal for a towing company to tow a car from a private property without the consent 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, at any time, and can pay for it by cash or credit card.

“The victims whose cars were towed were primarily Spanish- and Cantonese-speaking residents who are particularly vulnerable to predatory towing,” 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 $280,000 luxury sports car, according to court documents.

The city attorney’s office said that in October 2023, Abigail and Jose were charged with multiple felonies after they were found to be ensnared 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 ensnared in an “alleged welfare fraud scheme”

“For a time, Fuentes worked as a Senior Eligibility Worker in 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 application and did not mention they shared a personal relationship.

“Furthermore, both Fuentes and Badillo allegedly lied about their substantial income and assets in order to receive government benefits they were not entitled to.”

“Fuentes and Badillo both 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 to authorize them to provide ‘as-needed towing services and roadside assistance’ to city-owned vehicles.

The towing company was not allowed access, according to the San Francisco City Attorney’s office.