Stolen-Truck Saga Drives Owner to Distraction

For a few minutes, Bryan Venegas savored his unlikely good fortune: He found the sport utility vehicle that had been stolen from in front of his house.

Two days after his stepfather’s 1986 Toyota 4-Runner disappeared from the curb at his Silver Lake house, Venegas stumbled across it, one mile away. He then drove it back to his house and phoned his stepfather, the registered owner, who notified police.

And that’s when the good luck took a detour.

LAPD officers questioned Venegas’ story, refused to wait for the arrival of his stepfather and called a towing service to seize the vehicle.

Minutes later, when Venegas and his stepfather, Ben Inez, arrived at an impound yard, they had to pay $121.50 to retrieve it.

“I just felt like this was absolutely ridiculous. The truck was stolen; then I find the truck. Then I have to pay to get the truck out, even though I found it,” Venegas said. “It didn’t make any sense whatsoever.”

If the police had found the vehicle, it would have been a different story, said Venegas’ mother, Corinne Inez. “[Then] I [wouldn’t have minded] paying the impound fee.”

But she was dumbfounded that they had the vehicle towed, after her husband told officers he would arrive from Mission Hills in 20 minutes. Frustrated and upset, she fired off a letter to the Los Angeles Police Department and several lawmakers.

On Monday, police tried to set things right, agreeing to reimburse the family for the impound fees. The department will also investigate.

Venegas, 31, who works as a set decorator for a television series, said the weird turn of events caps a month of bad luck. His car had been rear-ended and was in the shop, so his folks in Mission Hills lent him the vehicle. When he spotted it Oct. 16, he thought it wise to drive it home.

But Venegas said it didn’t matter to police that his license listed the same address as his parents. His stepfather still had to personally claim the vehicle, and officers said they wouldn’t wait.

“They spoke to my father. He said, ‘I’m jumping in my car; there’s no reason to impound it.’ They said, ‘We can’t wait.’ And my father said, ‘I’ll be there in 20 minutes.’ ”

In fact, Ben Inez drove up in time to see the tow truck pull away, Corinne Inez said.

Sgt. Robert Arcos of LAPD’s Northeast Division said owners who find their own stolen vehicles should call police and not take the car. Officers need to file a report, check the odometer and possibly dust for fingerprints, he said.

The situation was probably more of a miscommunication than anything else, Arcos said.

According to department policy, stolen cars are released to registered owners, unless there is verbal or written notification to turn over the vehicle to another person.

“[Ben Inez] had a little bit of a drive from the Valley, and we probably should have made a little more concession to wait for him,” he said.

Officer Joe Perez, who dealt with Venegas, was not available for comment Monday.

“If I could be there in 20 minutes, that seems like it would be reasonable,” said Ben Inez, who clocked his trip.

His wife said she was driven to pursue the matter because of the principle, not the money.

“I think of elderly people that can’t afford to get their car towed,” she said. “It’s a lot of money and time.”