A van rental business owner took matters into his own hands when he was unable to retrieve help when he believed one of his vans was likely stolen.
Sharky Laguana, CEO of Bandago Van Rentals in San Francisco, said a woman rented a van from him for a day but later received a call from a man who requested a rental extension. After declining, they refused to take the van back.
"They sounded under the influence and they wanted to extend the rental for a month," said Laguana.
Laguana looked into the woman’s background and when he found red flags, he began the required process of waiting five days and sent certified letters believing the car was likely stolen.
However, before the van was officially deemed stolen, he spotted it near Highway 101 in San Francisco, followed it and contacted the police. Laguana claims there was back and forth but said that because of state laws surrounding stolen rental vehicles, there was little they could do.
This prompted Laguana to make the ordeal public on Twitter. One of the responses came from District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim.
"The police are following a procedure which under state law treats car rental differently," said Kim. "However, we should have procedures in place so that SFPD are trained ready and able to assist a citizen while a crime is in progress."
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San Francisco police said in a statement that the incident had been brought to their attention and that they are investigating the matter internally.
The van ended up at 17th and Mission St in San Francisco. Laguana says he walked up to the van calmly, saying police were about to move in on the suspects if they did not walk away from the van.
Three people were on board, they removed loads of luggage and handed over the keys.
