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Why Did Lincoln Towing Driver Go Inside Cab?

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Lincoln Towing driver is being accused of doing more than towing a vehicle.

The company, already under scrutiny over its practices, is now facing accusations one of its drivers broke into a vehicle it was towing.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports it was all caught on video.

A glance out her North Side window around noon prompted a concerned resident to grab her phone. She began recording a tow truck driver apparently using a slim jim of some sort to get inside the cab he was towing. In the video, the tow truck says Lincoln Towing on the side.

"Why would a towing company tow a truck, bring it to an alley in a back parking lot, slim jim the lock and then go in there and start rambling through stuff," the woman on the video says.

Lincoln Towing's attorney Allen Perl said: "It does not show him breaking into the car or rummaging through the car. It doesn't show either of those things. It shows him in the car, and my guess is he is putting the car in neutral."

This happened at a time when the company is in hot water with the city and the state.

The Illinois Commerce Commission voted unanimously last month to investigate Lincoln Towing's license. On Tuesday, the Chicago City Council held a hearing about it, citing decades of shoddy business practices.

"The ultimate goal with Lincoln Towing is that we hope that their license is revoked," said Alderman Amaya Pawar.

Perl staunchly defends Lincoln Towing and says there have been just 166 ICC complaints since July.

"It's one percent of 20,000 tows," Perl says. "Isn't that a small number?

Two Lincoln Towing drivers also said they can legally enter a car to ensure a proper tow.

CBS 2 was unable to reach the cab company for comment. No one has claimed anything was stolen.

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