Los Angeles has begun a crackdown on wheeled predators -- rogue towing companies that allegedly engage in extortion.

ADVERTISEMENT

One company, Non Stop Towing, and its husband-and-wife owners face a long list of criminal charges, the Los Angeles Daily News said. One woman said she was rear-ended by a Non Stop tow truck whose driver then demanded $180 from her -- and told her that the price would go up every hour she failed to pay.

The city has also sponsored legislation aimed at the towing industry throughout California. The bill passed the Assembly last week and is scheduled for a vote in the state Senate.

"We live in a city that is dependent on its cars, parking spaces are hard to find," City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said at a news conference with Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Echo Park and the legislator who wrote the bill. "These predatory tow companies know that ... and then hold you hostage. It's not right."