Angry and confused Garden Grove residents are fighting back after dozens of vehicles were towed Sunday without any warning while the car owners were sleeping.
From the hours of midnight to 5 a.m. on Nov. 19, around 25 to 35 cars were seized from the Eastgate Plaza Shopping Center, located near Valley View Street and Chapman Avenue.
Tenants of a nearby apartment complex said they have been parking at the strip mall for years thanks to a mutual agreement between the property manager of the Eastgate Plaza and residents.
The vehicles were seized by a company named International Tow after they were authorized to execute the towing by another company named Parking Management. Despite the authorization from a seemingly random business, the strip mall’s property manager said she never authorized the tow.
"I got two cars taken," Christina Buller, one of the residents whose car was towed, said. "It almost feels like someone broke into your house and violated your space."
Residents paid nearly $400 per vehicle to get their cars back.
"Right before the holiday season, the weekend before Thanksgiving," Buller said. "That sucks."
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Unsure who is at fault, the Garden Grove Police Department is investigating the situation as a predatory towing.
