INQUIRER: A tow truck driver was killed early Sunday in Philadelphia’s Kensington section after he was struck by another tow truck operated by a driver with whom he had argued, police said. Ray Santiago, 30, a driver for Siani’s Towing, was hit by a truck driven by Glen McDaniel, 25, in the parking lot of O’Reilly’s Pub at Frankfort and Lehigh Avenues at about 2:45 a.m., police said. MORE
UPDATE: Following the argument, Santiago drove his truck into the parking lot of O’Reilly’s Pub across the street and McDaniel followed him, Cohen said. That’s when McDaniel ran over Santiago, backed up and repeatedly ran over him again, police said. MORE
PREVIOUSLY: Pushy tow truck drivers are not foreign to the streets of Philadelphia, but an incident that occurred Monday between two rival tow truck companies has tipped the scale. Vehicles from both J & Son’s Auto Body and Mystical Complete Auto Service rushed to the same accident at roughly the same time which is not unheard of; however, then their dispute escalated and ended when the J & Son’s Auto Body worker shot the other driver. What makes this even more interesting is the fact that Jose LaTorre Jr., the alleged shooter, had arrived at the scene in a Cadillac Escalade, not a tow truck, but was still trying to claim the damaged vehicle for his business, say police. The shooting sparked a series of violent events and by Wednesday the two rival companies were engaged in a full-blown tow truck war. MORE