KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Tow company workers set up their own tow away zone signs at a business in Osceola County and then they took peoples' cars away, police said on Wednesday.
Kissimmee police arrested two employees of Parking Enforcement Management.
On Sunday, investigators said they towed peoples' cars from the Mega Pawn Shop on West Vine Street, without the store owner's permission.
The victims worked next door. Four Red Lobster employees got their cars towed when they parked in the lot. They had permission to park there but a tow truck company towed their cars anyway.
One victim told WFTV she was angry and planned on seeing an attorney on Thursday.
Emilio Disla and Edwin Pena were arrested for stealing people's cars after officers said they set up fake tow away zones at the Mega Pawn Shop.
The cars were towed out of Mega Pawn's co-owner Dave Larson's property.
"It frustrates me. On Mother's Day and people are towing cars," Larson said.
Records show the tow manager, Disla, instructed his employees to post a tow away sign in the entrance of the lot after vehicles were already parked in the lot. The pair then charged people $125 to $175 to get their cars back.
Larson said Parking Enforcement Management has been a problem in the past. Last March, he said the company tried to do the same thing.
"For them to do that to us, it's just one more thing for people to say, 'Oh look at that dirty pawn shop.' It upset me a lot," said Larson.
Disla and Pena claim Larson hired them to do the job, but Larson said he never gave them authority to tow any cars. There's no documentation to back the tow trucks company's story.
The restaurant has permission to use his property as an overflow parking lot.
"From January until now, we have gotten over 20 complaints. They are located in Kissimmee in our jurisdiction, but they were towing outside of our jurisdiction. So we are working with other agencies," said Stacie Miller of the Kissimmee Police Department.
All the employees were able to get their cars back when police arrested the men. No one had to pay a fee.
WFTV tried to get a hold of the owner of the two truck company, but the office was closed and his phone number was disconnected.