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Jan 15, 2025
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California Department Seizing Enthusiasts Vehicles

9 years ago
1 min read
by Michael Satterfield
In a story first posted on CarNinja it is reported that 17 cars have been wrongfully seized by the Orange County Police Department, in what seems to be an act of revenge for an incident that occurred in December of 2015. 
Here is how the story was posted on CarNinja:
“What started off as a drive with friends turned into a nightmare – 17 vehicles were impounded by the City of Orange Police Department with no explanation and no end in sight.

On the morning of December 26th, 2015, 17 individuals went out for a casual drive to lunch as a reunion of everyone being together and celebrating the day after Christmas, as they were all home for the holidays. They had met up in the city of Tustin to do so.

The weather was overcast and very windy as they all departed, heading north on Jamboree towards the canyon. On their cruise, towards the front of the pack, one of the caravan cars was sideswiped by a cyclist blindly crossing over to avoid a tumbleweed. The bicyclist (who happens to have a son working as a detective over at the Brea Police Department) laid on the road with several cars pulled over to rush to his aid. The driver had called the police and within minutes there were several officers at the scene of the accident. The cyclist refused ambulance service and shortly after was picked up by his wife and rode home. A police report was filed on the scene where the cyclist was deemed at fault for the collision. Later on that day, GoPro footage was willingly signed over to the officers to review. This footage clearly showed the collision between the cyclist and the front caravan car, further verifying the information that was given to the police.

We fast forward to two weeks later. Several people from the caravan that day are now receiving phone calls from a detective at the Orange Police Department, claiming he is investigating the accident that took place on December 26th, 2015. Apparently, the officer on scene who took the initial report was involved in an accident and lost his memory, meaning the report was never filed and is lost. None of the other two officers at the scene filed a report, either.”
To add insult to injury the cars were later seen being taken on joy rides and the author claims that both employees of  Archie’s Towing and Orange County Police Officers were seen driving the cars. According to the story, once an officer noticed they were being filmed, he chased those filming and claimed: “taking photographs of police activity is illegal.” 
This sounds like a pretty wild story but the guys over at CarNinja have posted photos and even copies of the search warrants that were served, for more head over to the CarNinja site HERE.

Michael Satterfield

Michael Satterfield is the founder of The Gentleman Racer, a leading automotive lifestyle site blending cars, travel, and culture. Known for its compelling storytelling and unique perspective, the site has become a go-to destination for car enthusiasts and style aficionados.

A Texan with a passion for classic cars and motorsports, Michael is also a hands-on restorer, currently working on a 1960s SCCA-spec Formula Super Vee and other project cars. As the head of the Satterfield Group, he consults on branding and marketing for top automotive and lifestyle brands, bringing his deep industry knowledge to every project.

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