NC attorney general sues predatory tow truck driver for racial discrimination

CHARLOTTE — A tow truck driver accused of stealing from vehicles he’s towed is being sued by the North Carolina attorney general for racial discrimination.

In a news release, Attorney General Josh Stein said Tuesday he sued Charlotte-based A1 Towing Solutions, Inc. and its owner, David Jewel Satterfield over allegations of racially targeting customers and illegally booting and towing their cars.

PREVIOUS STORIES:

• Charges filed after 2 guns were missing from SUV after being towed, CMPD says
• Tow truck driver accused of stealing guns from cars arrested again

The new allegations were added to Stein’s ongoing lawsuit against the company. The suit was first filed over allegations the company violated North Carolina’s price gouging laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stein said Satterfield and A1 Towing targeted trucks delivering needed goods during the pandemic, forcing their drivers to pay high fees for getting their trucks back and boots taken off.

Stein said the new allegations came after his office learned in those cases, “the defendants were discriminatorily targeting African Americans.” He said 11 of the 14 complaints his office got were submitted by African Americans.

Stein also added another company Satterfield owned, Automobile Recovery & Parking Enforcement, Inc., to the complaint.

“This defendant hasn’t just been breaking the law and harming North Carolinians – he’s done so by purposefully targeting Black people,” Stein said in a statement. “It’s both wrong and illegal, and I’m asking the court to stop him from engaging in this predatory and discriminatory conduct and give full financial relief to his victims.”

The attorney general’s office said the defendants are accused of “reverse redlining,” or giving certain communities -- in this case African American communities -- worse treatment.

“He was allegedly also operating mostly in areas of Charlotte that have a majority African American population,” the news release reads. “African Americans make up 35 percent of the population in Charlotte; they owned 72 percent of the vehicles Satterfield towed in the city during a specific time period.”

(WATCH BELOW: 9 Investigates: North Carolinians face tough battles against towing companies)

9 Investigates: North Carolinians face tough battles against towing companies

©2023 Cox Media Group