The car repossession business is a notoriously risky one, and there’s no better evidence than this shocking video out of Compton, California showing a man armed with a crowbar riding on the back of a tow truck and attempting to free his Nissan Altima as the panicked driver dragged the car through city streets.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators tell NBC Los Angeles the repo man was in the process of collecting the street-parked Altima over non-payment on Monday morning when the owner came out of a nearby residence and confronted him. He tried to quickly hook up the car and escape, but the owner jumped on the back of the truck as he drove away.
In his haste, he also apparently neglected to take the front-wheel-drive Altima out of Park, which is likely the reason for the front tires blowing and the resulting metal-on-asphalt fireworks. Of course, it’s also a cardinal rule of towing to keep the drive wheels off the ground with an automatic transmission—but that was probably the least of his worries. The owner reportedly attempted to free the Altima several times, at one point smashing the back window of the tow truck with his crowbar in frustration.
A woman named Brittany McDonald witnessed the incident and began following the rolling battle. She eventually took out her phone and recorded the following video, which shows a dangerous cat-and-mouse game as they attempt to stop the truck (apparently believing it to be stolen), the Altima swinging wildly across the road as the driver works to evade them.
The whole thing looks incredibly dangerous, with both parties completely disregarding traffic laws and the skidding Altima nearly striking several other cars. The chase reportedly went on for over ten minutes before Long Beach Police officers eventually caught up with the group and sorted things out.
NBC Los Angeles reports the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed the tow truck driver was a legit repo man. As a result, they’re weighing several charges against the owner of the car.