- A news crew investigating a used-car dealer was assaulted by the dealership manager.
- Police arrested the manager shortly after the assault and booked him into jail.
- Reports reveal he is also accused of embezzling $144,454 from a previous dealership.
Sometimes, the more you dig, the messier it gets, especially when it comes to shady car dealerships. What started as a simple investigation at a Pasadena, Texas, used-car lot quickly unraveled into a small-town scandal involving assault, accusations of theft, and one very problematic manager. A used-car dealership manager allegedly assaulted a film crew asking him questions. Then, after police arrested and charged the manager, journalists uncovered far more damning charges against him.
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The man at the center of it all is 27-year-old David Antonio Estrada, of Pasadena, but we’ll come back to him shortly. Journalists from KPRC Houston went to Estrada’s place of employment, Strawberry Road Auto Sales, seeking answers. A viewer reached out and claimed that Strawberry had required a $1,500 deposit just to test drive a car. When the customer decided against buying the car, she said Strawberry refused to refund her money.
Things Escalate Quickly
At first, the news crew went in undercover, but didn’t receive the same treatment. Then, they simply went to the manager, Estrada, and asked about the situation. In just a few moments, his mood became angry and agitated. Video shows him physically pushing the crew, grabbing their equipment, and hanging onto it as they retreat to their vehicle. That was enough for police to charge Estrada with two counts of assault.
After the fact, the team found that he was already facing an embezzlement charge involving $144,454. Allegedly, he skimmed deposits from customers while working at Fred Haas Nissan. As the finance manager, he reportedly took cash down payments and funneled them into three credit cards not registered in his name.
Evidently, Estrada isn’t the only bad apple in the Strawberry Auto family. Out of 36 reviews on Yelp, Koncept Auto Cars, a subsidiary of Strawberry, has a 1.9-star rating. In September of this year one person wrote “They steal your money !!! Would not recommend to anyone, they will have you put money down on a car and not give you the car or a refund. This place is a SCAM !!!!”
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Earlier in July, someone left this sterling review: “SCAMMERS!!!! The worst dealership in Houston DO NOT GO THERE PASS THEM UP! They lied and lied and we had to bring the car back! They put fraudulent info on my insurance that wasn’t there consent they didn’t have the right person on the insurance or the paper work. They never gave me proof of purchase and it wasn’t fully finalized the finance company didn’t even know I had the car! They lied about our quote on our insurance as well! Do not go to dealership.”
Another customer from August chimed in with an eerily familiar tale, warning, “They have a sister lot called strawberry road auto. They took my down payment and won’t give it back.” Those claims certainly sound familiar.
What happens with Strawberry, Koncept, and Estrada remains to be seen. The good news? The original customer who sparked this investigation did get her $1,500 deposit refunded, so at least one person walked away with some justice.