Minneapolis resident Malinda Williams said she never imagined that when she listed her black 2008 Mercedes-Benz for sale on Facebook Marketplace, the car would be stolen by a potential buyer, recovered, and then handed back to a thief by the city-operated impound lot.
It all started in late September when a man contacted Williams to arrange a test drive. He seemed honest, polite, and well-dressed, Williams said, admitting she tends to trust people too easily. She allowed the young man to take the vehicle, but he never returned.
After realizing the man had stolen her car, Williams said she immediately reported it to the police.
“I just trusted him,” Williams said, adding that she now feels terrible about it. Terrible, because the Mercedes held something irreplaceable—an urn containing her mother’s ashes, along with family photos and a few pieces of her mother’s jewelry. Williams had planned to bring these items to her sister, who was unable to attend their mother’s funeral.
On Oct. 7, Williams said she received the call she had been hoping for—her stolen car had been recovered and was being held at the Minneapolis Impound Lot.
She informed them that she would pick it up the following day, as she first needed to arrange a ride to a Mercedes dealership and pay $460 for a copy of her car key, so she would be able to drive the vehicle off the impound lot.
However, when Williams arrived the next day, she said she was shocked to discover that her car had already been released to someone else.
“They said someone had already taken it,” Williams explained. “They claimed I sent an email authorizing it, but I never did.”
According to Williams, the impound lot staff said they had received an email from a man named Mohammed who claimed to be her relative and gave permission for a third party to pick up the vehicle.
Williams said she informed the staff that she had no relative named Mohammed and had not given anyone permission to retrieve her car.
As for the third party who ultimately claimed the car and drove it off the lot, Williams said the clerk briefly showed her a photocopy of the driver’s license the man used to pick it up.
Williams said the photo looked just like the man who had originally stolen her vehicle: a white man in his early twenties. She recalled that the name on the driver’s license was Owen.
According to the rules outlined on the Minneapolis Impound Lot’s website, a notarized statement from the registered owner is required if anyone other than the registered owner or a relative with the same last name attempts to pick up the vehicle.
Furthermore, the notarized statement must include the authorized person’s name, a photocopy of the registered owner’s ID or driver’s license, and specific details about the vehicle, such as its license plate number, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), make, and year.
Impound lot admits mistake but offers no resolution, Williams says
Williams described the impound lot’s response as dismissive, saying the staff refused to provide her with the full name and information of the individual who picked up her vehicle, instead telling her she would have to take it up in civil court.
“They treated me like I did something wrong just by trying to come and get my vehicle,” Williams said, adding that the staff kept her driver’s license in a back room and refused to return it for over an hour.
Williams said the impound lot manager acknowledged their error but offered no resolution, even advising her not to call the police.
“They told me, ‘If you call the police, it’s going to get dispatched back to us because we handle all stolen vehicles,'” she recalled.
Williams said the loss of her car pales in comparison to losing her mother’s ashes.
“The most important thing to me were my mom’s ashes,” she said. “It’s like reliving my mom’s death all over again.”
Multiple complaints about impound lot
The Minneapolis Impound Lot has received numerous negative reviews on Google, with many users giving it one-star ratings. Several reviewers expressed frustration with the way their vehicles were handled, including claims of vehicles being sold or released without proper authorization.
One reviewer wrote, “Very rude, sneaky. They sold my stolen vehicle before I had a chance to claim it. Sold my other vehicle under the table and lied, said they crushed it, but it’s running in Brooklyn Park somewhere. Had thousands of dollars worth of merchandise stolen.”
Another reviewer described a similar experience, writing, “My 90-year-old dad’s car was stolen … the impound lot released it to my sister and her granddaughter, who stole it the first time. Now it’s reported stolen again, and the lot supervisor has not returned any calls!”
A third reviewer shared, “My car was stolen in my driveway on Dec 8, 2018. I filed a report with the Brooklyn Center Police … When I called the Minneapolis impound lot, they told me my car was auctioned and sold that same day. I drove down to the lot immediately and saw my car there—they told me it was sold 2 hours ago.”
Alpha News reached out to the Minneapolis Impound Lot and the Minneapolis Police Department for comment but did not receive a response.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
