a car recall never a great experience, for any party involved. For car owners, it can be an embarrassing or life-changing experience that disrupts your daily life. For the repo company, it can become a reality with owner encounters that can turn out to be extremely dangerous. But what happens when the vehicle recall company causes the situation to get worse? Detroit free press details the assault of a woman by men who were fixing her car, the involvement of the police, and why she sued them both after the ordeal.
In case you lost it:
It starts in the summer of 2022. press freedom writes that Amika Ward, of Flint, Michigan, was sitting in her Chevy Captiva one evening, having just returned home from shopping for a birthday present for her friend. Unbeknownst to Ward, her finance company, Credit Acceptance, had issued a recall request for her car the day before. She and her boyfriend were $1,500 late – two months’ worth – in the car. Before I go any further, one thing should be pointed out here: Someone pays $750 a month for a Chevrolet Captiva is wild. Anyway…
Ward suddenly felt goosebumps. It’s the repo man’s truck clinging to her car. The two men got out of the truck and headed for the intersection. One went to the driver’s side door. According to the article, Ward claimed the man asked her to get out of the car. “He opened the door and said, ‘Bastard, get out of the car,'” she speaks. The second man was on the passenger side, asking her to hand over the car keys. That’s when she said the guy at her window reached in and tried to get the key out of the ignition. She alleges that while doing this, he hit her and pepper sprayed her. Later, Ward said she heard one of the men say, “She has a gun.” Except that Ward said she didn’t have a gun on her. The two men then ran back to the truck and drove away with the Captiva and Ward still inside. “They dragged me around the apartment complex. I stepped on the brake too hard, my tire burst.” ward said.
The police were called in – by the repo men – and are said to have made the situation worse. Ward told press freedom that the police pulled her out of the car and threw her to the ground, immediately pulling out a gun. After she was handcuffed, they asked her if she had a weapon, to which she replied no. But they continued to search her car. According to a police report press freedom reviewed, the repo men claimed that Ward had a gun and was planning to drive away, which is incorrect. Police did not find a weapon. Even though she told them she was actually unarmed.Ward claimed that the police still felt the need to convince her, even going so far as to almost mock her about the missing car payment. From press freedom article:
“‘Multiple Sclerosis. Ward, if you just obey, all this won’t happen,'” she recalls an officer telling her before asking her boyfriend what her boyfriend does for a living. .
She told them that he worked at an automobile factory.
“’He works there and can’t afford to pay for the car?’” she recalled the officer saying.
All of this still made Ward’s blood boil.
The car is still there repair, but Ward and her boyfriend got it back a few days later, spending $669 to get it back from the impound lot, as well as keep up with their payments. With that out of the way, Ward is currently taking legal action. In two lawsuits filed in U.S. district court, she sues both the towing company, Alcar Recovery, and Flint Police Department, says she was “demeaned, humiliated and hurt” after both violated her civil rights. While City and Alcar declined to comment (an open case is expected)Alcar responded to another complaint on the Better Business Bureau’s website, claiming that the company’s employees were “never rude to anyone.”
Ward’s attorney, Ian Lyngklip, called the whole situation troubling. “Cuff her and imprison her for an absurd amount of time, then let the repo company go? This is very worrisome.” he says. Lyngklip says the repo company violated state law and it seems he’s right.
Michigan State law regarding the recall speak that repo companycannot disrupting order during vehicle recovery. This means they cannot threaten violence or harm someone, and more importantly, they cannot get the police involved, Unless a relevant command. And while Lyngklip doesn’t condone, people hide their media from the repo Men, he says when stress and emotions run high, they should try to repo another time.
