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SF tow company banned from doing business with city after alleged scams, illegally towing cars

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SF tow company banned from doing business with city after alleged scams, illegally towing cars


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The city of San Francisco is taking action against a towing company they say has a history of illegally towing vehicles.

Almost a year since the San Francisco City Attorney’s office began proceedings against “Auto Towing” citing this company violated multiple state and local laws by illegally towing vehicles from private property. Now, the city is taking a step further.

“We provided enough evidence such that Auto Towing could be permanently barred from doing business with the city for the next 5 years,” said San Francisco City Attorney, David Chiu.

Chiu said his office has a list of illegal tactics used by Auto Towing. In a statement Chiu added, “This company intentionally misled and scammed people out of hundreds of dollars by illegally towing cars. Our City has no interest in contracting with exploitative businesses engaged in illegal conduct.”

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During their investigation, the city attorney’s office found that they owners of Auto Towing are also the owners of two other towing companies.

One of them is called “Specialty Towing.” In April, we reported on a tow truck with the name “Specialty Towing” that tried to hook a vehicle waiting at a red light.

“There was a towing truck that had the names “Specialty Towing” that was engaged in what appeared to be criminal activity by attempting to take a car with individuals in it. That investigation I know is ongoing, but it doesn’t look great for these affiliated companies either,” said Chiu.

EXCLUSIVE: Couple shocked after tow truck tries to nab their moving car in SF

An East Bay couple is detailing the terrifying turn of events when a tow truck tried to tow them while driving through downtown San Francisco.

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ABC7 went to Auto Towing in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. Their lot had two cars inside, but no one inside.

We called the number on the sign outside their business.

A general operator said Auto Towing hasn’t paid for the operator service in months.

Shamann Walton, supervisor for this district, is aware of this company.

“They would take cars from the address of record to another site and people would have to take longer to be able to locate their vehicle which in the towing world it increases the cost for you to get your car back. So, they made it difficult and, in some cases, impossible for people to retrieve their cars,” said Walton.

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Supervisor Walton said there are several towing companies in San Francisco known to perform illegal tactics.

“I’m glad the city attorney has ended this practice for one towing company and hopefully it resonates with the others,” said Walton.

As we dug deeper, City Attorney Chiu confirmed the owners of Auto Towing are facing more than a ban from the city.

Tow company in viral video was recently banned from doing business with SF, city attorney says

In a separate case, the owners of Auto Towing were charged with welfare fraud.

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In a statement, the San Francisco district attorney’s office said:

“Fuentes and Badillo were each charged in connection to welfare fraud. They were arraigned in February of this year and pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their next court date is September 11, 2024, for a prehearing conference.

Fuentes is charged with 12 felony counts in connection to welfare fraud. Charged with one count of misappropriation of public funds, two counts of obtaining aid by misrepresentation, one count of filing a false declaration of eligibility, two counts of grand theft and six counts of perjury under oath.

Badillo is charged with eight felony counts including one count of obtaining aid by misrepresentation, one count of filing a false declaration of eligibility one count of grand theft and four counts of perjury under oath.”

Regarding the two other towing companies owned by the owners of Auto Towing, city attorney Chiu said they are still suspended from doing businesses with the city.

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“They have been suspended indefinitely while a criminal proceeding against the owners of their company are proceeding,” said Chiu.

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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San Francisco, CA

Where the wild things dine: Inside Wolfsbane, San Francisco’s most exciting new restaurant

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Where the wild things dine: Inside Wolfsbane, San Francisco’s most exciting new restaurant


SAN FRANCISCO — There’s a new kind of magic happening in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood; the kind that arrives quietly, in nine courses, with a glass of rare Kentucky bourbon in hand.

Wolfsbane, named for the ancient plant of folklore said to keep werewolves at bay, opened its doors last Fall as a collaboration between Tommy Halvorson, a Kentucky-born chef and catering veteran, and the husband-and-wife duo behind the beloved Michelin-starred Lord Stanley, chef Rupert Blease and general manager Carrie Blease. Together, the three have transformed the former space of Serpentine, Halvorson’s previous restaurant, into one of the city’s most anticipated fine dining destinations.

The idea, Halvorson says, had been brewing for years. “I always kind of had in the back of my mind, I was like, we should have Rupert and Carrie,” he recalls. The opportunity came last year as both camps closed up their respective restaurants. “I texted Rupert and I was like, dude, it’s time. We need to open a restaurant.” Once the decision was made, there was no looking back. “We pretty much stepped on the gas and started rolling.”

The Bleases are no strangers to commitment. Carrie first met Rupert while interning at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in England, a storied Michelin two-starred property helmed by Raymond Blanc. “We worked at a lot of places together, probably more so than apart,” Carrie says. After years in London, New York, and the English countryside, San Francisco became home and eventually their life’s work. Lord Stanley ran for a decade before the couple channeled everything into this new chapter.

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The nine-course tasting menu is rooted in Northern California’s rich bounty. “We go to the farmer’s markets several times a week,” says Rupert. “We buy directly from farms. We use all of the local produce that we can possibly find when it’s in season.” Standouts include an edible sunflower fashioned from artichoke heart with toasted seed butter and poppy seeds, and the return of favorites from Lord Stanley, including its buttermilk cabbage dish and delicate onion petal appetizer.

But for all its refinement, Wolfsbane is deliberately unpretentious. “We don’t want to create a space where people feel uncomfortable because they think they’re going to be looked down upon because they don’t know which fork to use,” Halvorson says. The bar program reflects his personal obsession; rare bourbons sourced over years, including a barrel named after his family’s Kentucky farm. “When you get into really well-made bourbon, really high-proof, and it doesn’t feel like they are, that’s when you know you’ve got something special there.” What Halvorson says about bourbon also sums up Wolfsbane-high-concept dining that doesn’t feel like it, making for a special and unforgettable experience.

For more information, visit https://wolfsbanesf.com/

Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Daniel Lurie sparked confrontation that injured security team: Police report

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Daniel Lurie sparked confrontation that injured security team: Police report


Mayor Daniel Lurie sparked the altercation that led to a fight and injuries to two San Francisco police officers in his security detail, according to a police report of the incident obtained by the Standard.

On Thursday evening at 5:38 p.m., Lurie, an aide, and two members of his security team were driving north on Larkin St. when they spotted several people sitting on the sidewalk on the corner of Cedar St., an alley in the Tenderloin. 

The mayor ordered the driver of his Rivian SUV, Officer Nicholas Boccio, to pull over. Lurie hopped out of the SUV. His second bodyguard, Officer Joel Aguayo, followed.

What happened next would result in two injured officers, a gun aimed at a man’s chest, two arrests, and renewed questions about the public safety under the mayor’s leadership. 

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While footage of the incident after the officer pushed one of the men has been published by Mission Local (opens in new tab), details about what led up to the fight have not been previously revealed. 

After leaving the safety of his vehicle, the mayor took matters into his own hands, the report says. Lurie attempted to get the group hanging out on Cedar St. to move, but one of the men refused. 

“On whose behalf do I need to move?” asked one of the men named Tony Phillips, according to Aguayo’s statement.

According to the narrative of the combined witness statements, “Mayor Lurie addressed the group and requested that they move along, as they were standing in the roadway. Phillips became immediately argumentative, stating that he did not have to move.” 

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Lurie told Phillips that Aguayo was an SFPD officer. Aguayo repeated that and requested that Phillips comply and move out of the way. Phillips again refused.

The police report said the mayor and Aguayo asked Phillips to move at least four times, at one point saying they would call uniformed officers to remove him. 

Still, Phillips refused, as the mayor paced a few feet away from Aguayo, video of the incident shows. 

While most of the group of four men appeared to stay put, according to footage of the incident, Phillips stepped toward Aguayo, who was standing in front of the mayor. 

According to the police report, Phillips then said, “I’ll Bruce Lee kick your ass.” Aguayo then swiftly pushed Phillips to the ground. Phillips got up and was pushed again before rushing the officer. The pair grappled and then fell to the ground, and Aguayo struck the back of his head. 

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During the fight, Lurie ran to the parked SUV to tell the driver, Boccio, that his partner was in trouble. When Boccio rushed to help, another man in the alley — Abraham Simon — grabbed the officer and reached for his waistband. Simon backed off after Boccio pulled his service weapon. 

Boccio then helped Aguayo but was unable to restrain Phillips. It wasn’t until several uniformed officers arrived that Phillips was taken into custody. 

Aguayo, who suffered cuts to the back of his head, facial bruising, and a back injury, said to investigating officers that he had to use force on Phillips because he was threatened verbally and got within inches of him. The officer also said he tried to de-escalate to no avail. Boccio’s hand was cut during the confrontation. 

No body camera footage was captured of the incident because officers in the mayor’s security detail did not wear them. 

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The incident, about which Lurie has made brief statements, has raised questions about whether Lurie’s freewheeling approach to walking the streets could put him into danger. The mayor told reporters last week after the incident that he asked the people to move because he was concerned for their safety and that of other pedestrians and drivers. 

“I’m out here walking the streets of San Francisco like I do every day. I believe that you can’t solve what you can’t see,” Lurie said in an Instagram post Monday, seemingly doubling down on his approach to interacting with San Franciscans. 

When asked for comment, the mayor’s spokesman Charles Lutvak referred to the Instagram post and a story Lurie shared in his State of the City speech about approaching a man who appeared to be an addict, who told the mayor to mind his own business. 

The mayor’s reply: “You are my business.”

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Lurie’s own account of the incident was not included in the police report, although the document says he later would be contacted for a statement. 

Phillips is set to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of threatening an officer, inflicting great bodily injury, and contempt of court for violating a stay-away order from the alley. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office will request that Phillips remain in custody as he is a threat to the public. 

Simon is also set to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of interfering with an officer. 

The incident is also being investigated by the Department of Police Accountability, according to The Chronicle.



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San Francisco man charged with attempted murder in unprovoked daylight Chinatown stabbing

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San Francisco man charged with attempted murder in unprovoked daylight Chinatown stabbing


A 37-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder in what authorities described as an unprovoked, broad daylight stabbing in San Francisco’s Chinatown last week.

Suspect charged

What we know:

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San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that Jian Feng Huang was charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack at Stockton and Sacramento streets.

Huang, of San Francisco, will be arraigned Tuesday. He remains in custody.

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Jenkins described the incident as a “horrific attack of an innocent man waiting to cross the street.” She said there is no indication that the victim and the suspect knew each other.

Surveillance video captures attack

Dig deeper:

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Surveillance footage circulating online shows a man in a black hoodie walking down Stockton Street before suddenly lunging at a man who was waiting at a corner to cross the street.

The attacker stabbed the victim in the back and then walked away, according to the video. The victim is seen collapsing to the ground.

The attack occurred shortly after 1 p.m.

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Bystanders rush to help

Local perspective:

Bystanders and business owners rushed to help the wounded man.

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“We bring the ice and the towels to stop bleeding,” said Rawnie Chan, manager of Flags International Services. Chan said the victim was speaking in Cantonese and said he was in pain.

One business owner said she grabbed frozen dumplings from an office refrigerator to place on the wound because there were no restaurants nearby with ice available.

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Victim recovering

Jenkins said the victim is recovering at a local hospital. Authorities previously said the victim suffered life-threatening injuries and has undergone at least two surgeries.

The Source: This story was written based on information from San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

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