FBI agents raid San Francisco towing company
FBI agents served a search warrant on a towing company in San Francisco on Thursday morning.
The agency confirmed to CBS News Bay Area that it was conducting what it called "court-authorized law enforcement activity" at Specialty Towing on the 2000 block of Oakdale Avenue, near Interstate Highway 280.
Video from the scene showed agents in FBI jackets on the property.
Federal authorities did not provide additional details about what prompted their presence at the tow yard.
San Francisco police confirmed that their agency responded to assist a federal agency in serving a search warrant.
The tow yard was previously linked to an investigation by City Attorney David Chiu's office into illegal towing.
According to the city attorney, a company called Auto Towing towed several cars from the parking lot of a Bank of the West branch in the Portola neighborhood between February and May 2023. Chiu said the company did not receive permission of the property owner.
Documents alleged Auto Towing had towed vehicles to the lot of Specialty Towing on 2045 Oakdale Avenue instead of its permitted operating location at 1229 Underwood Avenue, which made it more difficult for the vehicle owners to retrieve their cars, Chiu said.
Last month, the city banned Auto Towing from receiving city contracts for five years, saying the company engaged in "predatory behavior" along with "unfair business practices." Chiu had suspended the company in February after the owners were charged in a welfare fraud scheme.
