Men Charged In Predatory Tow Operation Believed To Have Gang Ties

CHICAGO -- Two men were arrested for impersonating city workers and running a fake towing company that preyed on motorists involved in crashes, Chicago police said. Jon Twist, 30, and Angel Camacho, 26, both of Chicago, were both charged with felony tow solicitation. Twist was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a police scanner.

Around 6:15 a.m. April 5, a tractor truck had become wedged beneath a viaduct near the intersection of Racine and Pershing in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood. The driver, who works for a commercial trucking company, reported the accident to his dispatcher and arranged for a tow. While waiting for his company's tow truck to arrive, another towing company showed up. Police said two men, later identified as Twist and Camacho, emerged from the tow truck. Both men allegedly identified themselves as working for the Chicago Police Department and wore City of Chicago jackets.

When the truck driver’s tow arrived, an argument broke out and someone called 911. Twist and Camacho were arrested, police said.

In recent weeks Chicago police have uncovered a predatory towing operation believed to be orchestrated by gangs. According to police, tow trucks appear unsolicited at accident scenes. The tow truck drivers “essentially take cars hostage and later extort owners.” In the case of Twist and Camacho, both were wearing City of Chicago jackets and used a police scanner in Twist’s vehicle to monitor police response to accidents and to find potential accident scenes.

“If you're involved in an accident, a tow truck will never just show up,” CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a tweet. “Authorized city tow services will also present you with documentation of the request and you could always verify the legitimacy of a tow operator by calling the Chicago Police Department or Chicago Office of Emergency Management Communications.”

In recent weeks, #ChicagoPolice have uncovered a predatory towing operation which we believe may be orchestrated by gangs. Tow trucks appear unsolicited at scenes & essentially take cars hostage & later extort owners. In yesterdays case, men were impersonating city employees. pic.twitter.com/fL249GFUsc
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) April" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/AJGuglielm... 6, 2019

Twist and Comacho appeared for a bond hearing on Sunday at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building where they were released on $10,000 I-bonds.