California Highway Patrol Informs Predatory Tow Truck Company of Collisions to Defraud Crash Victims and Insurance Companies

Paul Cook’s neck smashed against the back of the car headrest and snapped forward again, after he felt a hard and sudden jolt hit the back of the red Toyota Prius. Thump! Two seconds later, the back Chevy hit the Prius a second time. Pshhhhh. The car started swerving. Shocked, Elder Arambula, the driver, lost control of the steering wheel. The car spun out and flung into the freeway guardrail, crashing into it. Arambula’s chest and shoulder smashed into the dash; his head hit the headrest as well. The front airbags didn’t deploy. Cook prayed, “Please don’t let another car hit us.” No other car hit the two.

The car was mangled into the metal guardrail. Arambula shook Cook and shouted, “Are you ok?!”

Dazed; Cook replied: “I don’t know.”

Cook opened the door and stepped out. He felt dizzy and confused and noticed the car was almost dangling off the edge of the shoulder of the freeway. Seeing it, Cook processed the thought: What if the car flew off the edge? He took in a deep breath.

Date: September 26, 204. Time: 7:47 PM. Location: 210 Freeway West. Pasadena. Near Sierra Madre Exit. 

Orange emergency lights were blinking. Cook looked at the two crashed cars, the broken doors, the broken plastic shattered on the asphalt, and the disabled and cracked cars. He tried to make sense of what happened.

* * *

A driver from Cyrus Tow spotted the red Prius. About 20 minutes later, Officer Eric Voss from the California Highway Patrol came out. He ordered Cyrus Tow to tow the two cars off the freeway. Arambula did not consent to have his car hooked up.

Voss was not supposed to authorize this tow, as the CHP has an official tow list of authorized tow trucks.

Cyrus Tow told Arambula that Toyota's SOS system went off and the tow and impound would be free. All he had to do was sign the papers and give the keys.

Four days later, the tow bill came out to $1,700. Cyrus Tow charged $625 for the tow, $295 for the tow hook up fee, $150 for a forklift fee, $250 for an after hour fee, and $150 for a “hazmat/clean up” fee.

Read more on how Cyrus Tow's illegal operation runs.

* * *

"Dee Dee", the business manager from Cyrus Tow, refused to accept credit card. Arambula paid the tow bill with all his college financial aid money. Arambula was broke.

At the time, Arambula asked Dee Dee, “So mine was in the Altadena CHP. So he’s [Eric Voss] the one, who contacted the guy who picked up my towing truck?”

Dee Dee answers, “Mmmm hmmm. Yeah. That’s how that works. . . . There’s many different ways these calls can come over.”

(Voss is also well networked in the CHP. According to the Altadena CHP Instagram, Voss has two other brothers working for the CHP: Kyle and Lucas.) According to Transparent California, as of 2023, Voss made $274,052.51. This includes benefits.

Arambula’s incident is not isolated. Five other victims have complained to Yelp.

Cook is requesting that if anyone can help with a donation to Arambula. Arambula needs a rental car or a to purchase a cheap car, while this accident is being investigated. All donations are tax dedudicble through Cook’s nonprofit corporation, a 501(c)(3) - Plousivous En Pistei (Greek for Wealthy in Faith) and will be spent accountably and appropriately.

When asked about how he feels after the tow, Aramabula said, “This is just wrong. These people are profiting from our pain. We could’ve been seriously hurt. Handicapped or dead. It makes me so mad.”