“Baird rode in the cab of the tow truck to the repair shop on Fairfax Circle. But he owed that shop $1,800, and he didn’t have $135 to pay the towing fee. As the annoyed tow-truck driver prepared to take the vehicle to an impound lot in Sterling, where it would accrue daily storage fees, Baird reached into his car to grab his laptop and asked whether he could retrieve his clothes, bedding and family photos from the trunk.”