Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia. Show all posts

Shots Fired Over Towing Dispute


From WOWT.com
Posted: Apr 1, 2011
Reporter: Roger Hamer

Two tow truck drivers found themselves threatened at gunpoint Friday morning. After shots were fired, police made two arrests. Police say they were legally removing three cars that were parked illegally in an apartment complex lot near 38th and Farnam when three men came out and confronted them around 3:30 a.m., angry that a friend's car was being towed.

One man claimed to not have the money to cover a tow fee and threatened the drivers. When the tow truck drivers tried to leave one of the men fired at least eight shots into the cab, shattering the window.

tow truck with carAs police arrived at the scene, officers saw one of the suspects throw a gun as he was running away. The officers recovered the gun and arrested 24-year-old Kenneth Hatch for making terroristic threats and possession of a stolen firearm.
Officers were given permission to search the apartment that the men had come from and located another handgun that had also been reported stolen as well as marijuana. 

Twenty-two-year-old Kyle Hauder was booked for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and for an unrelated misdemeanor warrant. Police said he's the boyfriend of the owner whose car was being towed.
towing parts: tie down straps

Kim Hobscheidt of Auto 1 Towing later surveyed the damage to its tow truck. “We've got the five here. We've got the three up here in the windshield.” There were bullet holes everywhere. “From what I understand, eight. Yes, very scary.”

“We have a contract with that complex and the reason that we are there doing this is there are only so many spots.”

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Police: Tow Truck Driver Critical After Kensington Shooting, No Relation To "Towing War" - cbs3.com

Tow Truck Driver Shot In Kensington

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―

Philadelphia police are searching for a gunman who shot a tow truck driver in the back multiple times in the Kensington neighborhood.

According to sources, the tow tuck driver was cleaning his vehicle near the intersection of Front and Silver Streets when he was shot from behind.

Neighbors of the victim tell Eyewitness News the driver lives in the area and witnessed a black male running down the street after the shooting.

Police say the victim, who is an employee of "Straight Up" Towing and was not on-call at the time of the shooting, was spotted on the ground by two Good Samaritans who picked him up from the ground and transported him to Episcopal Hospital.

The driver has since been transferred to Temple University Hospital where he is listed in extremely critical condition.

Police have not released the victim's name at this time and also have stated they do not believe this incident is the result of any "towing wars" altercation.

On July 22, a Philadelphia tow truck driver was shot and properties connected to an ongoing tow truck rivalry were riddled by gunfire and set on fire.

This incident remains under investigation.


Police: Tow Truck Driver Critical After Kensington Shooting, No Relation To "Towing War" - cbs3.com

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Tow Truck Shooter Arrested, Cops Block Wreckers From Accident Info | PhillyNow | A blog about Philadelphia news, politics and culture by Philadelphia Weekly

Are Philly’s tow truck wars already over?
An alleged gun-man in this week’s towing blow-up has been arrested, and the police have changed the rules to prevent future problems, no longer broadcasting accident information over radios that wreckers can listen in on.
Jose LaTorre, Jr., wanted for Monday’s shooting of Mystical Towing driver Angel Carrera, turned himself into police last night. The shooting allegedly was the result of a dispute between LaTorre and Carrera over a potential customer after an accident on Hunting Park Avenue.
Action News spoke with the owner of Mystical:
“LaTorre told him he couldn’t talk to his customer,” Mystical owner John Campbell said of the employee who was shot. “He told (LaTorre), `Well, I don’t see no tow truck there.”‘
LaTorre had been on the run ever since. The suspect’s father, Jose LaTorre Sr.,the owner of J & Sons Towing, did not return several messages left at the family business.
. . .
Campbell, 35, said he has talked by phone to LaTorre Jr. and encouraged him to surrender so they can put the feud behind them. “None of this is good for business,” he said.
After the shooting a bunch of cars at J & Sons got torched, and someone fired a gun at Mystical’s office building.
In response to the violence, police say they will now transmit minor accident information over laptops instead of their radios so the wreckers won’t get the drop on them. It’s not a perfect solution, says the Inky:
Police radio is generally more effective because officers who hear the calls and are near an accident sometimes arrive sooner than officers who receive a specific call for help.
“It’s a trade-off, and we are going to have to weigh certain factors,” [Deputy Commissioner Jack] Gaittens said. “We are not looking to replace police-radio transmissions and tie up the [computers].”
The Daily News adds that dispatchers will start calling for a tow truck before the police even arrive at the accident to help fend off future brew-ha-has.
Before, the radio room would wait until a cop got to the scene and radio back in for a tow. Now, the dispatcher asks the caller if the vehicles are blocking a highway or sidewalk, if there is a safety concern and if a tow is needed. Then the dispatcher contacts the next tow company in the rotation and dispatches police officers, Gaittens said.
Councilman Jim Kenney has called for legislation to mandate that the dispatchers call the towing companies in advance, and also fines for wreckers who show up uninvited. It all sounds good, but Philadelphia has implemented tough towing laws before. Councilman Frank Rizzo got a “rotational towing” system passed two years ago in which police call tow trucks from a list to spread out the business, but the rule has been largely ignored, mostly because the tow trucks got to accidents before the police could.
Because the new rules block access to accident info, they are more likely to stick. But come on, aren’t tow truck wars more exciting than parking wars?










Tow Truck Shooter Arrested, Cops Block Wreckers From Accident Info | PhillyNow | A blog about Philadelphia news, politics and culture by Philadelphia Weekly
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