‘Could You Get In Trouble?’: Police Car Parks In Reserved Spot At North Carolina Woman’s Apartment. Then She Has It Towed

A North Carolina woman called a tow truck on a police car parked in her reserved spot at her apartment complex, and the internet can’t get enough of it.

Jay__dee17 (@jay__dee17) posted the nine-second video on March 1. It has since racked up more than 7 million views.

The video, set to a Ludacris song, shows a marked police cruiser sitting in what appears to be a reserved parking space, followed by a red tow truck backing into position.

Text overlaid on the video reads “PLAY WITH YOUR MOTHER… IDC” and notes the day and time: Sunday, 10:15 a.m.

The police car appears to bear markings for Mint Hill, a town in Mecklenburg County just east of Charlotte.

‘This Is A Platinum Move’

The video’s comment section exploded. The top comment from KarmasLovechild, with more than 227,000 likes, set the tone, posting, “I know the tow man was excited as hell.”

KristywitaK replied, “You know it. He probably journaled about this one and how it’s the best tow.”

NINE22 MOTORING LLC, who identified as a former tow truck driver, called it “a PLATINUM MOVE.” Asked how police typically react to being towed, the account didn’t hold back: “Oh they lose their [expletive]. Calling the city, their supervisor, the tow company. I always said… I’M JUST DOING MY JOB.” 

The former driver added, “And don’t let it be an UNDERCOVER car. They completely lose it.”

Can You Actually Tow A Police Car?

The most-liked standalone comment from Kim read, “Rule of law—no one is above the law.”

That prompted a spirited debate. Several commenters said that reserved parking on private property isn’t  “law.” Kim clarified: “My comment never specified ‘reserved parking is the law.’ … It’s a paid parking spot and clearly it wasn’t an emergency situation.”

Chef Dukes explained, “It is the officer’s responsibility to properly park and secure their vehicle. They ARE NOT allowed to park anywhere they want unless it’s an emergency. And in an emergency their lights are REQUIRED to be on. Valid tow.”

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Nadi Nicole Savage, who identified as an EMT, confirmed the distinction from her own experience, posting, “In Michigan police can park anywhere, including handicapped parking, as EMS is allowed also,” she wrote, but specified that applies only when responding to a call. “Reserved is reserved for the tenant who pays for their parking spots. Different situations.”

In North Carolina, the law governing towing from private property lets a parking space owner or lessee to request removal of an unauthorized vehicle in writing, provided the lot displays proper signage. The law makes no exception for cop cars outside of an active emergency.

Not Everyone Was Happy

Not all commenters thought the tow was a good idea.

Ladiesman217 warned that the tow could have unintended consequences, writing, “Tow truck drivers receive jobs from police departments. There is a roster that puts them in line for calls of service by PD which makes them money. You mess with the PD, you can expect your position in this line to be last or messed up.”

But Shawana Grigsby caught the general mood best, posting “Not me thinking you called the police on someone. Never thought you called someone on the police.”

Motor1 reached out to jay__dee17 via Instagram direct message for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.

 

 

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