Mister Sparky Will Give Her An Adjustment She’ll Never Forget

In 2013 or so, I am an adjuster for a popular car insurance company. I go to many tow lots after car accidents and decide if a car was a total loss or send it to a body shop, as well as do the initial write-up of an estimate on repair costs.

The tow lot I am at today also works with the state police and houses their overflow storage for anything deemed evidence and on hold from release. These vehicles are kept behind a locked gate inside the already fenced, gated tow yard.

I am here to do an appraisal on two vehicles. They were involved in a minor accident; however, both were left unable to drive from the scene due to either multiple flats, lights knocked out, or windows busted. I’ve finished the first vehicle and started taking photos of the second vehicle. I have headphones in.

I see a woman walking up to the police evidence lot and the gate swinging open out of the corner of my eye. I’m not paying much attention. My back is turned to this woman as I take the last couple of photos I need. The last is a photograph of the VIN of the vehicle, which is located where the windshield meets the hood almost on the dash.

Out of nowhere, this woman grabs both cables to my headphones from behind and rips them out of my ears.

Woman: “Excuse me! Why are there two cars in front of mine so I cannot get it out?”

This lot stacks cars in four or five deep, side by side, and moves them around with a small truck to release them.

Me: “Please don’t touch me, and I don’t think you should be in here. And I don’t w—”

Woman: “You shouldn’t be listening to music on the job, anyway, or slacking off taking pictures of other people’s belongings. You’re probably back here stealing.”

I attempt to point at the insurance company logo on my blue jacket, but the woman continues on.

Woman: “Are you going to do your job, or do I need to call the police because you’re refusing to give me my property?”

Me: “Have you gone into the office at [Towing Company]?”

Woman: “No, I saw you here, and you need to move these cars so I can get mine and leave.”

She marches over to the evidence lot, opens the door of the first car blocking hers, and gets in.

Me: “HEY! HEY! NO! You can’t go in there! That is police evidence!”

I use my cell phone to call the towing company and inform them of what’s happening.

Woman: “If you won’t move these cars, then I will! Where are the f****** keys?”

Me: “In the office with the employees.”

The towing company’s manager comes running out with a phone in his hand.

Manager: “Hey, lady, get the h*** out of there! Those cars are property of the state police!”

[Manager] frantically called someone on his phone. Then, he saw that the chain used to keep the lot closed had been cut WITH BOLT CUTTERS. The woman was carrying a pair of bolt cutters and had thrown them into her car when she was back at it.

[Manager] and the woman argued back and forth, and I listened and half-paid attention as I finished my duties for work.

About ten minutes passed, and SEVEN police cars came flying into the lot.

[Manager] greeted the police and started to explain what was going on, but the woman attempted to scream at the police that I had stolen her car. One officer told the woman to stand over in the direction he pointed in, sending a female officer to wait with her. It turned out that the Lieutenant who was in charge of the County’s Police Tow Licenses was on the scene.

After getting [Manager]’s story, [Lieutenant] came to me and took mine. While I was informing him of what had happened, the woman overheard and started yelling and attempting to approach me. The officer standing with her grabbed her by her arm. The woman yanked her arm out of the officer’s hand and shoved her, surprisingly knocking the officer down.

The woman was screaming incoherently as she charged toward me. [Lieutenant] stepped in front of me and hit the woman with his taser, creating the most beautiful sound in the world. The woman went limp and face-planted in the light gravel of the lot. They immediately handcuffed her.

It turned out the woman had walked onto the lot carrying the bolt cutters while I was in the office talking with staff about the two cars I needed to adjust. She had been roaming the lot until she saw me when I happened to be near her car.

The woman was charged with burglary, two counts of tampering with evidence, assault on a police officer, assault on me, trespassing, and resisting arrest. I know she did jail time, but I’m not sure how much.

Years later, the towing company I now own impounded her car for being double-parked. She remembered who I was and quietly paid.

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