California-Orange County
My boyfriend and I went to a gas station at 3 am after finishing helping a friend get their broken down car going. We had my boyfriend's mother car which was parked in the parking spaces right outside the main entrance to the store. When we came outside there were two cops standing by the drivers side of the car shining their flashlight in the windshield. We asked them if we could help them with something and they asked us if it was our car to which h we stated that it was my boyfriends mothers car but we were in the process of buying the vehicle. Then the cop said , "you don't have a vin #" which we both sort of laughed a little and told the cop that it is impossible that there isn't a vin#. We offered to give them the registration which we handed to the officer and told them that the car had also been in an accident in the past year and so it didn't make any sense why there wouldn't be a vin # when in the case of the accident the police and insurance adjuster certainly verified the vin# at the time along with the smog that took place a fee months prior when the registration was renewed. The police then told us to set our drinks down on the hood of their car and then asked if we had anything sharp on us that,could poke or prick them to which we both denied and then they said can we check and we agreed. After frisk in us they told us to put or hands behind our backs and took us each by the wrists and started walking us to the back of their car. when we asked what was going on and if we were being arrested they said they didnt know if the vehicle was stolen so we are just going to sort this out and it shouldn't be long. We said to them that they could just call the registered owner or run the plates to see that the car isn't stolen but they ignored us. So they lock us in the back of the police car and then proceed to start searching the vehicle. Outraged we both stated to the camera in the cop car that the police were conducting an illegal search without consent, without a warrant, and without probable cause. The cops were annoyed by our screaming and attempts to confront them on their misconduct and came to the back window and stated that when my boyfriend consented to be patted down that he was consenting to them searching the vehicle. We both responded with disgust and said that was not consenting to a search of the vehicle and what they were doing was illegal. They said that was our opinion and turned around d and went back and continued going through the vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle they found paraphernalia that was secured in a candy tin. Yes, our wrong doing for having paraphernalia and a controlled substance in the vehicle but they were not in plain sight and were tucked away in my purse that was on the floor, and not found until after they already took it upon themselves to search the vehicle. We told them about a firearm which was wrapped up and buried under the rest of the items we had in the trunk. We had nothing to hide and explained that it was his moms recently deceased ex navy seal boyfriends and we were just moving the items to a storage locker as directed to do so by his mother until his family from back east decides what to do with all of his belongings. We reiterated that they could verify if they contacted the registered owner of the vehicle. We then told them that there was a set of tools in the trunk called a "lock out set" which we had as a result of locking our keys in the car less than 24 hours prior. There was a lot more dialogue that took place but main points after what I've already stated include a couple key things. I told them I am a diabetic and my blood sugar was high and frequent urination is something that I experience with my condition and they told me over and over again from before they put us in the back of the car when I initially told them that I had to go until more than an hour into the situation that it would just be a minute. I eventually ended up being forced to urinate 4 times in the back seat of the cop car because they refused to acknowledge my stated condition. They took everything out of my boyfriends pockets money and all and put it inside our car and then had it towed with the reason cited as "driver arrested." They had us handcuffed in the back seat with the windows up and the heater blaring for hours. They drove to a substation pulled food out and ate it on the hood of their car while fingerings through a book looking for things they could charge us with. When they finished and got in the car I asked them what we were.being charged with. The one cop literally said, "tweeker with a gun." I told him that I wanted the actual penal codes that we are supposedly being cbarged with and he said I just told you. At this point they proceeded to drive eradically, completely recklessly with their headlights off at high speeds I'm assuming to intentionally scare us. By the time we got to the jail the sun was out and it was after 7am. So we get booked and the intake people confirmed my blood sugar levels were insanely high at 589 (normal range is below 200) and then we were in jail for the next 4 days only to be released because "no barges were filed at this time". They didn't notify the registered owner about the vehicle being towed or stored until 3 days after it was towed. No charges were filed. Nobody was driving the vehicle when the police initiated contact with us. Does the registered owner have to pay the impound/towing fees if the vehicle does not have a hold on it and shouldn't have been towed in the first place?
My boyfriend and I went to a gas station at 3 am after finishing helping a friend get their broken down car going. We had my boyfriend's mother car which was parked in the parking spaces right outside the main entrance to the store. When we came outside there were two cops standing by the drivers side of the car shining their flashlight in the windshield. We asked them if we could help them with something and they asked us if it was our car to which h we stated that it was my boyfriends mothers car but we were in the process of buying the vehicle. Then the cop said , "you don't have a vin #" which we both sort of laughed a little and told the cop that it is impossible that there isn't a vin#. We offered to give them the registration which we handed to the officer and told them that the car had also been in an accident in the past year and so it didn't make any sense why there wouldn't be a vin # when in the case of the accident the police and insurance adjuster certainly verified the vin# at the time along with the smog that took place a fee months prior when the registration was renewed. The police then told us to set our drinks down on the hood of their car and then asked if we had anything sharp on us that,could poke or prick them to which we both denied and then they said can we check and we agreed. After frisk in us they told us to put or hands behind our backs and took us each by the wrists and started walking us to the back of their car. when we asked what was going on and if we were being arrested they said they didnt know if the vehicle was stolen so we are just going to sort this out and it shouldn't be long. We said to them that they could just call the registered owner or run the plates to see that the car isn't stolen but they ignored us. So they lock us in the back of the police car and then proceed to start searching the vehicle. Outraged we both stated to the camera in the cop car that the police were conducting an illegal search without consent, without a warrant, and without probable cause. The cops were annoyed by our screaming and attempts to confront them on their misconduct and came to the back window and stated that when my boyfriend consented to be patted down that he was consenting to them searching the vehicle. We both responded with disgust and said that was not consenting to a search of the vehicle and what they were doing was illegal. They said that was our opinion and turned around d and went back and continued going through the vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle they found paraphernalia that was secured in a candy tin. Yes, our wrong doing for having paraphernalia and a controlled substance in the vehicle but they were not in plain sight and were tucked away in my purse that was on the floor, and not found until after they already took it upon themselves to search the vehicle. We told them about a firearm which was wrapped up and buried under the rest of the items we had in the trunk. We had nothing to hide and explained that it was his moms recently deceased ex navy seal boyfriends and we were just moving the items to a storage locker as directed to do so by his mother until his family from back east decides what to do with all of his belongings. We reiterated that they could verify if they contacted the registered owner of the vehicle. We then told them that there was a set of tools in the trunk called a "lock out set" which we had as a result of locking our keys in the car less than 24 hours prior. There was a lot more dialogue that took place but main points after what I've already stated include a couple key things. I told them I am a diabetic and my blood sugar was high and frequent urination is something that I experience with my condition and they told me over and over again from before they put us in the back of the car when I initially told them that I had to go until more than an hour into the situation that it would just be a minute. I eventually ended up being forced to urinate 4 times in the back seat of the cop car because they refused to acknowledge my stated condition. They took everything out of my boyfriends pockets money and all and put it inside our car and then had it towed with the reason cited as "driver arrested." They had us handcuffed in the back seat with the windows up and the heater blaring for hours. They drove to a substation pulled food out and ate it on the hood of their car while fingerings through a book looking for things they could charge us with. When they finished and got in the car I asked them what we were.being charged with. The one cop literally said, "tweeker with a gun." I told him that I wanted the actual penal codes that we are supposedly being cbarged with and he said I just told you. At this point they proceeded to drive eradically, completely recklessly with their headlights off at high speeds I'm assuming to intentionally scare us. By the time we got to the jail the sun was out and it was after 7am. So we get booked and the intake people confirmed my blood sugar levels were insanely high at 589 (normal range is below 200) and then we were in jail for the next 4 days only to be released because "no barges were filed at this time". They didn't notify the registered owner about the vehicle being towed or stored until 3 days after it was towed. No charges were filed. Nobody was driving the vehicle when the police initiated contact with us. Does the registered owner have to pay the impound/towing fees if the vehicle does not have a hold on it and shouldn't have been towed in the first place?
