Scammers are posing as legitimate tow truck companies online, taking money from stranded drivers and leaving them without help, according to a local wrecker service owner who has seen multiple cases in recent weeks.

Bill Byers, owner of Byers Wrecker Service in Rochester, said one customer sat on a dirt road north of Rochester for six hours after paying more than $300 to what he thought was a legitimate towing company. No truck ever arrived.

"These people are calling them on the phone and they're going, 'we can send somebody out but it'll be a $300 charge prior to us coming out up to $600, I've even heard more," Byers said.

Byers started noticing this scam about two weeks ago. He said stressed drivers are calling companies they find through Google searches, but the addresses listed sometimes aren't actual tow lots.

The scam almost always begins with a demand for hundreds of dollars upfront, according to Byers.

"No legitimate towing business should ask money up front on a credit card," Byers said.

He explained that while some companies do require upfront payment to prevent customers from leaving before the truck arrives, legitimate fees should be $50 to $75, never $300, $600 or $900.

Byers said suspected scammers sometimes call trusted towing services like his, posing as customers or roadside assistance companies requesting a tow. However, these callers have already collected payment from the actual stranded driver.

"We went to a house up in Orion Township for a classic car and the gentleman said he already paid $392 to have his car towed, and it was only being towed two blocks two miles it was within a small area, and when we got there to collect he said I already paid, well we didn't get paid," Byers said. "So here we are, and we told him, 'you need to call and stop that transaction because this scam is going on.'"

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office Computer Crimes Unit is actively investigating the scam.

"Any time they can get some kind of electronic payment or some other kind of methodology to get you to send them money without services, they're all about it," Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

Bouchard said some scammers are even intercepting calls intended for legitimate tow truck companies.

"Our computer crimes unit is kind of evaluating and trying to examine the whole situation to determine, you know, where the security breach is that Google is now sending them or calling the wrong number with the wrong party on the other end," Bouchard said.

If you suspect you're being targeted by a scammer, hang up, don't pay over the phone, and look for another tow truck company. You can also call your local police or sheriff's department to connect you with a legitimate towing company.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A Detroit woman who says she was shot six times by a police officer during a traffic stop is fighting back in federal court, suing the city and the officer for $25 million.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report: Woman shot 6 times by Detroit police officer files $25 million federal lawsuit against city

Tracey Allen claims the shooting was unjustified and says she's dealing with both physical and emotional scars from the October incident.

"I'd be lying if I told you I was okay. Mentally, I'm not. Physically, I'm not," Allen said.

Allen showed where she was struck four times in one arm, but she and her attorney say it's the scars you cannot see that she'll live with the rest of her life.

"This case is not about being anti-police, it's about accountability," said Maurice Davis, Allen's civil rights lawyer.

The incident began when officers pulled Allen over on Van Dyke and Savage for speeding, excessively tinted windows, and an obscured license plate.

"I asked for a supervisor several times, he didn't give it to me, so I dialed 911. I told the operator I feared for my life and to stay on the phone with me," Allen said.

VIDEO: Watch the press conference in its entirety: Press Conference: Woman files lawsuit, seeking $25 million after being shot by DPD six times

According to the lawsuit and the Detroit Police Department, the officer called for backup instead. The suit claims that the same officer pepper-sprayed Allen after trying to forcibly remove her from her SUV. Allen drove away, and police caught up with her and tried to box her in on Outer Drive near Concord.

"He had already got his gun out, so I thought I was gonna get shot in my head. So he moved from the front to the side as he moved to the side, he asked me to get out the car twice. I shook my head no. That's when he began to shoot my truck up. As he shot my truck up. I pulled off. I didn't know I was hit until I got to the light."

Allen was shot six times.

VIDEOS: Watch our previous coverage on the shooting below: Detroit officer suspended after shooting, chief says policy violations under investigation

The Detroit Police Department declined to provide a statement, saying it does not comment on pending litigation. But Chief Todd Bettison was noticeably frustrated when he briefed the press on the shooting last fall. Body-worn camera footage of the incident contradicted what he was initially told about what happened. Bettison says the officer violated several department policies.

"She did give her license, she did give her registration, her insurance was on her phone. If a supervisor had been called, I don't think it would've went this way," Bettison said in October. "When individuals follow the policy as they're supposed to, you don't have incidents like this."

The officer is still on the force but has been suspended without pay since early November.

Marc Curtis, the officer's defense lawyer, offered a statement saying:

It is important that the facts be fully reviewed before any conclusions are drawn. An officer's actions must be evaluated based on what was known at the time, not through the lens of hindsight. We will continue to cooperate with investigators and trust the process will provide the necessary context.

The State Police Homicide Task Force investigated the shooting and sent its findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for a charging decision in late November. The prosecutor's office says it's still reviewing the case.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Tensions over immigration enforcement escalated across Southeast Michigan as hundreds of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools students staged a walkout Tuesday afternoon in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, while religious leaders from multiple faiths called for defunding the federal agency.

The student demonstration, captured by aerial footage, represents the latest in a series of protests against ICE agents operating in the region. The walkout coincided with the White House's announcement that it would pull back 700 of the 3,000 immigration enforcement officers deployed in Minnesota.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report below: Plymouth students protest ICE as religious coalition demands defunding

At St. Paul's Episcopal Church, roughly 60 Episcopalian priests, Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams gathered to condemn what they described as immoral immigration enforcement tactics. The interfaith coalition called on lawmakers to cut funding to ICE, citing concerns over the agency's methods and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

"This may be beginning with immigrants, but if the administration has its way, it surely won't stop there," Rabbi Nate Degroot, director of the Shalom Center, said.

The religious leaders and Christy McGillivray, executive director of Voters Not Politicians, argued there was no room for compromise on the issue.

"Any deal for reform is delusional. ICE agents have violated nearly 100 court orders from just one single Minneapolis judge in the past few months," McGillivray said.

"To spend our public dollars on the systematic abuse of our communities is morally repugnant," Rev. Jill Zundel, pastor emeritus at Central Methodist Church added.

Web extra: Clergy members in metro Detroit talk about impact of immigration enforcement Web extra: Clergy members in metro Detroit talk about impact of immigration enforcement

The enforcement crackdown has impacted local businesses serving immigrant communities, including Maty's African Cuisine. Owner Amadi Gueye said customer traffic has dropped significantly as fear spreads through the community.

"They don't come here to buy food anymore. Everybody's scared. They stay home," Gueye said.

Gueye said his nephew and brother were detained last week, adding to what he described as widespread arrests in the African community.

"This past three weeks, they've taken over 20 people 20 African people," he said.

While Gueye said he could support ICE funding if agents focused solely on criminals, he believes the current operations are targeting law-abiding residents.

"ICE in the beginning, they say they're looking for criminals, but now they are catching good people," Gueye said.

Sunny Reddy, co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, defended the enforcement actions.

"I strongly support ICE, what they're doing. They're not targeting an individual; they're targeting the people who violated the law," Reddy said.

The Oakland County Republican Party released a statement criticizing the faith leaders' press conference, calling it "another troubling escalation in the radical left's campaign to delegitimize lawful federal immigration enforcement and undermine respect for the rule of law."

The statement compared the movement to "the failed and destructive 'defund the police' movement of 2020, which prioritized slogans over solutions and left communities less safe as a result."

You can read the full statement below:

The increasingly extreme rhetoric coming out of todays so-called ICE Out Interfaith Press Conference marks another troubling escalation in the radical lefts campaign to delegitimize lawful federal immigration enforcement and undermine respect for the rule of law. Recent tragedies involving federal immigration officers are undeniable and deeply serious. As Brian Szmytke, Senior Advisor to the Oakland County Republican Party noted, Any loss of life is tragic, and those incidents deserve to be investigated fully and transparently. But we also have to be honest about what has fueled this moment. These tragedies did not occur in a vacuum. They are the foreseeable result of years of dangerous rhetoric from the far left that portrays law enforcement officers as villains and encourages confrontation instead of compliance. Rather than working to lower tensions, organizers of todays event chose to double down on that rhetoric by branding a federal law-enforcement agency as lawless and out of control. According to Szmytke, That kind of language is reckless. When activists and political leaders tell people that law enforcement itself is illegitimate, they create an environment where resistance is celebrated and violence becomes more likely. Words have consequences. This approach mirrors the failed and destructive defund the police movement of 2020, which prioritized slogans over solutions and left communities less safe as a result. We have already lived through the real-world consequences of demonizing law enforcement, Szmytke added. Now we are watching the same playbook get recycled, this time targeting federal officers who are doing the job Congress assigned them.

"We are not calling for open borders, we are not calling for the end of law we are calling for an end to masked militarized immigration enforcement inside our communities," Rev. Josephy Alsay, dean of St. Pauls Cathedral, said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

About 200 people gathered on Detroit's west side Friday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection actions, saying immigration enforcement is tearing families apart and targeting the wrong people.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report: National protest against ICE reaches Detroit's west side

The demonstration at 7 Mile and Telegraph drew protesters to a neighborhood many African immigrants call home, as part of hundreds of protests across the country following unrest in Minnesota and the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

WEB EXTRA: Chopper video of ICE protest in Detroit on January 30 Chopper video of ICE protest in Detroit on January 30

"It is very rare that communities center Black migrants. So for us to be here in Black Detroit, centering other Black folks living here that have an accent, so we feel seen," Dr. Seydi Sarr said.

Some protesters say they've been personally impacted by the Trump administration's mass deportation effort.

"They take one of my nephew yesterday... and they take my brother the day before yesterday," Amady Gueye said.

"We will not continue on with business as usual. We will not look away while you terrorize our communities," Sarah Williams said.

Nabih Ayad from the Arab-American Civil Rights League described disturbing scenes involving children.

"A five-year-old is left crying while his parents are being arrested," Ayad said. "Children being ripped from their parents while they're having seizures."

Earlier Friday, leaders from civic, faith, and labor communities, along with NAACP Detroit Branch President Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, called for accountability measures, including no new funding for ICE, body cameras for agents, and an end to federal immunity.

WEB EXTRA: NAACP Detroit Branch holds press conference following recent ICE actions NAACP Detroit Branch holds press conference following recent ICE actions

"The current ICE policies exercised in America remind us of 1939 Germany, today's Russia, China, North Korea, and the old southern America... as they attacked, lynched, and kidnapped African Americans simply trying to register people to vote," Anthony said.

The group is urging politicians on both sides of the aisle to take action.

"Several of the Democrats have stood up and said something about it," Anthony said. "But it's the Republicans we have not heard from."

However, Sunny Reddy, co-chair of the Michigan GOP and himself an immigrant, sees the situation differently.

"I strongly support peaceful protest there's no question about it but at the same time let ICE do their job," Reddy said. "I strongly support ICE they're not targeting an individual, they're targeting people who violated the law."

"If someone is going against the law, even if they are officers, they should be investigated, and there should be action taken against them," Reddy said.

Statement from Vance Patrick, Chair, Oakland County Republican Party:

Oakland County residents are witnessing yet another example of the radical left putting political theatrics ahead of the rule of law. The so-called nationwide shutdown planned for today is nothing more than a petty, childish temper tantrum over the federal government enforcing immigration laws that are already on the books and were duly passed by Congress. This kind of behavior is sadly familiar. We saw it in 2020 with the reckless defund the police movement, when progressive extremists openly sided with chaos over public safety. The results were predictable and damaging: rising crime, demoralized law enforcement, and communities left less safe. Now, the same radical mindset is reappearing, this time attacking the lawful enforcement of our immigration system. Lets be clear. Enforcing the law is not radical. Ignoring it is. Encouraging shutdowns, disruption, and disorder because you disagree with existing law is not principled protest; it is lawlessness dressed up as activism. Democrats continue to signal that rules only matter when they align with their ideological preferences. Voters across Michigan, and especially here in Oakland County, are stunned by how quickly this extreme worldview is becoming mainstream within todays Democratic Party. Working families want stability, safety, and a government that takes its responsibilities seriously. They do not want childish stunts that undermine confidence in our institutions and disrupt the lives of people who are just trying to go to work and provide for their families. The Oakland County Republican Party stands firmly for the rule of law, public order, and responsible governance. We will continue to call out radicalism wherever it appears and advocate for policies rooted in common sense, accountability, and respect for the laws that hold our nation together.

ICE and Customs and Border Protection fall under the Department of Homeland Security. I reached out to DHS for comment, but received no response.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. Where Your Voice Matters

A Detroit bus company owner's decision to offer rides to students walking to school in frigid temperatures has ignited a community debate about child safety, sparking warnings from school officials and dividing parents on social media.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report: Detroit yellow bus owner's cold weather student rides spark safety debate

Darrell Beaver, owner of EllaMin'OP Transportation, said he stopped to help students walking to school on one of the coldest mornings of the year, Wednesday. Beaver spotted the children while driving his contracted route to Braniacs Clubhouse Child Development Center on Detroit's east side.

"I just jumped into help mode. Like, it was freezing. Again, I was in a bus for over an hour, and my feet were froze, so I felt bad to see these kids walking," Beaver said.

The gesture prompted Detroit Public Schools Community District officials to send a robocall and mass text, warning families not to let students board unauthorized buses. Beaver does not have a contract with Detroit Public Schools to transport children.

"At this time, we don't have any evidence to suggest he had any nefarious intent, but really focusing on never encouraging students, children to get into vehicles with people they don't know, regardless of the type of vehicle it is," said DPSCD Police Chief Labrit Jackson.

Jackson expressed concerns about liability and said Beaver's actions could set a dangerous precedent.

"The next person who's watching this now, we've given him an idea, we've planted a seed that they can use as a, no pun intended, but a vehicle to have access to our children," Jackson said.

Parent Diane Longmire, who was in the pickup line at Fisher Magnet Upper Academy, where Beaver said he dropped off a student with her mother's permission, Wednesday morning, emphasized the need for caution.

"We just need to be careful about our children. That's why I brave the cold, that's why I'm here, so when she comes right out that door, she comes right into this car," Longmire said.

However, parent Tamika Jimerson, who supports Beaver and his efforts, said she doesn't have that luxury. She planned to accept Beaver's offer to take her children to school on Thursday, but he backed out after the online backlash and district warning. Jimerson's children attend a non-Detroit Public Schools charter school without bus service, and she does not have a car.

"I was kinda like, I wasn't mad, but I was just like hurt cause we was really trying to go to work and school," Jimerson said.

Jimerson said ride-sharing services are too expensive for her budget.

"Lift is $50. I don't have $50 to get to school, to get them to school at 6-something in the morning," Jimerson said.

Beaver acknowledged the concerns but defended his intentions.

"I don't get a dime for it. Again, I understand everyone's concerns, but my intentions are not bad at all," Beaver said.

DPSCD is urging families that need help getting their students to school to contact its transportation call center: (313) 945-8600.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.