An Atlanta man got into serious trouble after his legally purchased car got impounded due to it being stolen. What made matters worse is that the dealership that sold the stolen vehicle appealed the judge’s order to pay back their customer even though they now claim to have reached an agreement after the case got press coverage.
Everything started in May 2022 when Demetrius Howard purchased a used Audi A6 from Evolution Cars in Conyers, Georgia. Seven months later, a Newton Country Sheriff knocked on his door asking him about the vehicle that was parked on his driveway. Footage from the officer’s body camera shows that the incident was resolved in a calm manner. The policeman informed Howard that the vehicle was stolen and had to be taken away, even though the owner showed him all the paperwork proving that he legitimately bought it from a dealer.
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Without a car in his possession, Howard tried to get his money back. Financial company Wells Fargo initially send him notes but eventually agreed to make things right by returning all the money from previous installments. The dealership however declined any wrongdoing and refused to compensate their customer. As reported by WSB-TV, Luis Diaz, Evolution Cars manager, said: “We did a deal. We did due diligence with the state of Georgia, and what they require from us to verify the vehicle is not stolen.”
Things got to court where the judge ordered Evolution Cars to pay Howard $4,500. Surprisingly, the dealer appealed the court order, prolonging the family’s ordeal. According to the Channel 2 Action News investigation, Evolution Cars made an offer to Howard for paying the $4.5k compensation and covering the court expenses, which is currently being reviewed by his lawyer.
We hope that the matter gets fully resolved soon as Howard did nothing wrong to go through all this fuss. As noted by his mother, things could end up being a lot worse if another officer stopped him on the side of the road for (unknowingly) driving a stolen vehicle. The family has started a go fund me campaign for purchasing a new car.
