San Diego police probe illegal towing claims against S&S Towing

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Police Department is encouraging residents who believe they may have been victims of illegal towing practices by S&S Towing over the last three years to come forward with their experience to aid investigators looking into the company.

SDPD spokesperson, Lt. Dan Meyer, said in a release on Thursday that the probe was initiated in spring after the city attorney’s office Affirmative Civil Enforcement division received complaints about unfair business practices by the towing company.

Over the months-long investigation, the city attorney’s office in partnership with SDPD identified practices tied to the impounding, storing and releasing of vehicles by S&S Towing that are suspected violations of state law.

According to Meyer, a search warrant connected to the allegations of unlawful towing was executed at its shop on El Cajon Boulevard on Monday, Aug. 5. However, the search escalated to a tow truck driver fatally shooting himself in an auto dealership parking lot.

No additional details were immediately available about the deadly shooting incident.

SDPD are now looking for additional victims of potentially unlawful practices by the private towing company, although Meyer notes they are already in contact with “several.”

Authorities are asking people who may have experienced any of the following issues to contact SDPD’s Traffic Special Investigations Unit at towingfraudreport@pd.sandiego.gov or the city attorney’s ACE Unit as they may be state law violations:

• Your vehicle was towed from a legally parked area by S&S Towing.
• The tow truck driver refused to release your vehicle on-site – meaning it hadn’t yet been removed from private property and was NOT in transit.
• The tow truck driver asked for payment of more than half of the regular towing charge after it was already hooked up to the tow truck or other towing device and you returned and requested it be released.
• The tow truck driver or company refused to accept a credit card as a form of payment and would only accept cash.
• The owner of the vehicle is not provided a photocopy of the written authorization for towing from law enforcement personnel.
• The owner is not provided a notice with information regarding reporting of wrongful towing.

Victims of a towing violation who wish to take immediate action can do so by pursuing a private remedy in small claims court. More information about unlawful towing in the city of San Diego can be found on SDPD’s website.

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