One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
The Denver Boot visits the West Loop
08/13/2011 11:48 AM
A Denver Boot recipient took his anger out on his own car in the West Loop.
The West Loop was visited by the Denver Boot this week. The Boot doesn’t seem as prevalent here as where I was living on the North Side. There, when the Boot made its rounds, an entire block would get hit leaving bright yellow traps on at least four cars within a two block distance.
That’s why I was surprised to see three cars booted along Madison Street Thursday night. No parking regulations from the road resurfacing were likely the final nail for the unlucky car owners.
Those three weren’t the first I’d seen in our area as of late. I took the accompanying photo a couple of weeks ago on Jackson and Halsted. Apparently the owner of the vehicle came out of one of the restaurants, found that his car had been booted, and reached for a tire iron or something.
He proceeded to smash his windows and put dents in his SUV. The car looked a ‘hot mess’ when I saw it. To top things off, he stole his own license plates before fleeing the scene. Maybe he thought then he wouldn’t be traceable, or maybe he was going to put them on his next car. The police were reporting the VIN number as I was snapping photos.
I was a recipient of the boot once on the North Side when getting it reflected five tickets in final determination, rather than the three it takes to get one now. About $500 later I became a more conscientious car owner. Maybe that’s why it isn’t as prevalent here. Perhaps like me, others have already tasted the Boot’s wrath, and don’t want another bitter bite. Or maybe more of us just have garages.
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By JML from Lincoln Park
Posted: 08/26/2011 6:16 PM
Part of the problem is that it wouldn't matter if the owner of the vehicle stripped the vehicle of all plates and then tried to report it stolen. When the Boot Truck caught this vehicle...the software recognition program runs the plate number through the database and checks it against the list of Reported Stolen vehicles. There is a specific protocol to follow for Stolen Recover booting, and there are multiple VIN #'s to check against the Sec State vehicle owners database. The owner is stuck.
By Terry from Lakeview
Posted: 08/13/2011 6:16 PM
The dude likely smashed his car windows and stripped his plates to report his vehicle as stolen to get out of paying the hefty fees associated with that boot. It's an interesting tactic, but not so uncommon. This photo should be entered into evidence to prevent insurance fraud.