TX vanity plate screwup gets Austin man arrested @ gunpoint.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

On TXCN (Texas Cable News) the other day, they had a story
where a law-abiding citizen was arrested at gunpoint by Austin PD
for an administrative error.

The man in question was driving a sharp-looking 2008 Cadillac CTS
4 door sedan. It was solid black with expensive after market chrome
wheels.

His vanity plate, which he had recently been issued, was "WIP", which
he said signified "Work In Progress". He said he was a "car guy", but
didn't explain whether the car was a "work in progress" (more customizing
coming?) or if he felt his life was a "work in progress."

This vanity plate was the new kind issued by the company which contracts
with the state of Texas to provide the more colorful plates. His was mostly
black with one large star to the left of "WIP".

Well, Austin PD ran his tag through their computer and it came back listed
to a Texas motorcycle that had been stolen in Florida a few years back.

APD pulled him over with multiple cars, the LEO's had their sidearms and shotguns
on him, ordered him to the ground, and handcuffed him.

He was cleared of any wrongdoing. Now the state of Texas is reviewing the vanity
plate issuance process, and doing some kind of review of all Texas vanity (personalized)
license plates.

This outsourcing thing works great, huh? Sheesh. The poor guy was arrested at his
workplace in front of his employees.

SIA

[puma guy]

On TXCN (Texas Cable News) the other day, they had a story
where a law-abiding citizen was arrested at gunpoint by Austin PD
for an administrative error.

The man in question was driving a sharp-looking 2008 Cadillac CTS
4 door sedan. It was solid black with expensive after market chrome
wheels.

His vanity plate, which he had recently been issued, was "WIP", which
he said signified "Work In Progress". He said he was a "car guy", but
didn't explain whether the car was a "work in progress" (more customizing
coming?) or if he felt his life was a "work in progress."

This vanity plate was the new kind issued by the company which contracts
with the state of Texas to provide the more colorful plates. His was mostly
black with one large star to the left of "WIP".

Well, Austin PD ran his tag through their computer and it came back listed
to a Texas motorcycle that had been stolen in Florida a few years back.

APD pulled him over with multiple cars, the LEO's had their sidearms and shotguns
on him, ordered him to the ground, and handcuffed him.

He was cleared of any wrongdoing. Now the state of Texas is reviewing the vanity
plate issuance process, and doing some kind of review of all Texas vanity (personalized)
license plates.

This outsourcing thing works great, huh? Sheesh. The poor guy was arrested at his
workplace in front of his employees.

SIA

Sounds as though the vanity plate issuance is a WIP

[tacticool]

Motorcycle plates are smaller than automobile plates. Any competent LEO knows that.

[boba]

Austin

"nuff said"

[karl]

Sounds to me like some profiling (I'm assuming he was black).

[terryg]

So, would it SOP to train weapons on carjacking suspect? I can see having weapons out at low ready, but seriously, why would they be covering the suspect at this point?

[b322da]

I got an interesting note from DPS about some custom plates I recently ordered, which said that normally it takes about two weeks for the plates to be manufactured and delivered, unless there is an "unscheduled lockdown," in which event it could take longer.

Elmo

[LarryH]

This is very similar to a recent incident at an airport in southern California.

Seems that an airplane (Cessna 150) was stolen from an airport in Texas about eight years ago. When it hadn't been recovered a few years later, the FAA canceled its registration and re-issued the tail number to a Cessna 172. THAT airplane, owned by Cessna, was leased to a famous couple (John and Martha King) in the aviation training business.

A few weeks ago, the Kings were flying the airplane into (maybe) Santa Monica airport, when the local PD was notified that "a stolen airplane" was en route to their airport. The PD met the Kings at the airport and performed a "felony stop" on them (multiple cars, multiple officers, multiple weapons aimed at them, told to deplane one at a time and back away from the airplane toward the officers, and handcuffed).

After thirty minutes or so, someone realized that the 172 wasn't the 150 that had been stolen so many years ago, and the Kings were released.

"What we got here . . . is a FAILURE . . . to COMMUNICATE!"

[Charles L. Cotton]

Sounds to me like some profiling (I'm assuming he was black).

Nope, he was white, but just from appearance, you wouldn't want your daughter dating him.

Chas.