A California man has been arrested after allegedly using counterfeit disabled parking placards to reserve spaces for his luxury cars at an apartment complex in Irvine, police said.
Investigators seized six bogus placards during the inquiry, which began after officers received a tip that vehicles were being left in disabled bays at the residential development.
The Irvine Police Department said its traffic detectives determined that six cars had been displaying fraudulent permits. Police photographs reportedly showed placards attached to a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and a BMW.
Officers also found evidence that the man owned or had access to five Mercedes-Benz vehicles and three BMWs. The collection was estimated by reports to be worth around $1 million.
Police have not suggested that the man was entitled to use any of the disabled spaces. Under Irvine’s parking rules, a placard’s registered owner must be present when the vehicle is parked in a disabled bay; using another person’s permit is illegal.
The case remains an allegation, and further details about the charges and the man’s legal representation had not been released.
