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Video shows man riding on back of tow truck, bashing its windows after his car is repossessed

Posted at 11:16 AM, Aug 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-23 13:16:27-04

COMPTON, Calif. -- A California man jumped onto the back of a tow truck that was repossessing his car on Monday and bashed in the rear windows with a crowbar, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told KTLA.

The incident happened in Compton around 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The man riding on the tow truck and the truck's driver were both detained, questioned and later released. However, there's a possibility the man who jumped onto the truck could face vandalism charges, officials said.

The truck was towing a repossessed car when the registered owner noticed it being taken away and started yelling at the truck's driver. The driver then identified himself and explained he needed to take the car, according to officials.

That's when the car's owner showed "aggressive behavior," a news release from the department explains, and the driver became afraid for his safety and got into the truck and tried to leave.

Video shows the altercation did not end there.

The car's owner somehow got onto the back of the tow truck and started bashing in the rear windows with a crowbar, shattering them. Video posted on Facebook — taken from a vehicle driving behind the tow truck — shows a man on the back of the truck as it drives away with a car dragging on the back.

The front end of a red-colored car can be seen scraping against the road, with sparks flying as it is dragged away by the truck. Later, the car sways from side to side as parts of it nearly fall off.

Graphic content advisory: Video includes graphic language.

Throughout the wreckage-carrying ride, a man is still seen standing on the back of the truck. He can be seen in the video leaning forward, holding on as it keeps driving.

Meanwhile, the driver of the tow truck saw two vehicles following him "at a high rate of speed," according to a news release from the Department. He tried losing them as he drove away.