We realize that you need to repossess that 2000 Ford Focus, but it’s just not necessary to punch a woman in the face in front of her 5 year-old daughter. The woman, Sara Bradley, 25, was was sitting in her car when a debt collector trying to repossess the vehicle attacked her, grabbing her necklace and punching her in the face, according to the Boston Globe.
Another debt collector then jumped onto the hood of Sara’s car “like a madman.” Afraid she was being carjacked, she drove herself and her 5 year-old daughter to the police station with the debt collector still clinging to the hood of the Ford Focus. The debt collectors claim that Ms. Bradley ran over the first debt collector’s foot and then rammed the so-called madman hood-clinger with her vehicle, causing him to be thrown onto the car.
The debt collectors pled not guilty and are being held on $10,000 cash bail. —MEGHANN MARCO
Debt collectors charged with assaulting young mother [Boston Globe] (Thanks, Christine!)
(Photo: shoothead)
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come on guys it’s all in the handbook. first you gotta beat down the debtor. then you calmly explain to them, that you thought they were making a break for it. lastly, you tell ‘em they need jesus in there life and to move on from their wayward ways… don’t you watch dog the bounty hunter?
Yeah, those two look like a couple of real winners. At least if they lose their repo jobs, they can go back to their day jobs of stealing cars, holding up liquor stores and beating up senior citizens.
There are two sides to every story, and there’s a pretty good possibility that the woman was no saint; however, that doesn’t justify being assaulted or punched in the face. Just because it’s a repo doesn’t give the repo men free reign to resort to physical violence.
Oh, and punching a woman in the face makes it all the more classy.
@dwayne_dibbly: “Yeah, those two look like a couple of real winners. At least if they lose their repo jobs, they can go back to their day jobs of stealing cars, holding up liquor stores and beating up senior citizens.”
Man that`s exactly what I was thinking…
This all has the stench of Emilio Estevez about it, especially considering the little-read Variety tidbit that he’s tuning up to make ‘Repo Man II’.
Who isn’t aware of the genetic predisposition of Sheen and his spawn towards anti-double x chromosome behavior? The sooner we build this broad-bashing clan a natural habitat in Malibu where they are confined and surveilled, the safer our streets will be.
Aren’t the repo guys supposed to take the vehicle when it’s parked and the woman isn’t in it and nobody’s around?
@Beerad:
@Buran:
Irony, wit, and understatement really are dead in the age of the Internets, aren’t they?
“I wish I was this woman. Don’t pay thousands of dollars and it can all be redeemed with one punch to the face!”
Ah, another Compassionate Conservative heard from.
Tell you what, I’ll loan you a hundred bucks, but you don’t have to pay me back if I can kick you in the balls. How’s that sound?
By the way, I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you wished you were a woman. Just sayin’.
Wouldn’t it be kind of easy to prove if she drove over the guy’s foot? Like, I don’t know, by some sort of machine that could take pictures of the bones in his foot and broke them. Perhaps inspecting for swelling?
I don’t buy the repo guys’ story at all. Asshats.
If somebody tried to pull me out of my car while my daughter was sitting in it, I wouldn’t get out either and I’d feel quite justified in running the attacker over (and probably backing over him a few times to make sure I finished the job). I don’t care what story you tell me or what paperwork you wave around, don’t get between me and my kid. When she’s not in an easily kidnappable position, then we can have a chat about my property and payment schedule…
Beyond all those details, though, trying to repossess a running car with the soon-to-be-ex-owner still in it is just stupid. Trying it twice in rapid succession is even stupider.
RE two of the comments:
“Why a debt on s 7 year old car” and “Why a repo after 3 weeks”
Probably related – along with the fact that they have a bunch of low budget repo-men
It’s probably a used car, on what is called a “Payday” loan. I’ve worked with a company that was related to that business – GPS trackers that they insisted be installed in the car.
On a “payday” loan, you MUST make your payment EVERY payday. That’s the deal. They are very high risk, high interest loans, with a VERY high default rate. I was quoted a number like 75% of all payday car loans go into default.
Now, if you figure you’re going to repo 75% of the cars you make a loan on, the place probably hired the cheapest guys they could find.
The places that use the GPS units started to do so because a LOT of the folks in default will do a LOT to hide the car. They just track the car, and wait. ONE huge issue turns out to be, “they park the car in the garage, and the car is never unoccupied when out on the street”. That’s usually when you hear of “issues” during a repo.
Now, I’m NOT going to go into the issue of payday loans, or the ethics of them (or should I say lack of ethics).
@dr88:
>Repo men are tough because the majority of their repossessions result in some type of confrontation. Often, they have the debtor punch THEM in the face and throw them out of the car that is being repossessed. It seems like part of the story isn’t being told.
What an incredibly stupid comment. In analogy to your comment, cops should have the right to shoot at anyone coz they get shot at occasionally. Schoolteachers could grade any student an F for cheating coz students cheat sometimes. Any country can always go to war with any other country coz sometimes those countries might want to go to war with them.
The only thing that’s important here is that they punched a woman who did nothing whatsoever, so yes, they SHOULD be punished for that like anybody else.
According to Repo Laws…
http://www.repolaws.info/repossessionlaws/massachusetts.ht…
Recovery Requirements:
“A Right to cure law is in effect for all Massachusetts contracts. As per the UCC, repossession is allowed and permitted as long as it is peaceful, after a Twenty-one Day Right to Cure Letter from lienholder to debtor. Vehicles cannot be repossessed from property owned or rented by the debtor.”
3 weeks late? Yeah, right. Sure. 3 weeks isn’t even enough time to get the letter.
This poor woman got carjacked.
The loan company needs to make this up to her big time. If I were her, I’d go after the repo company AND the loan agency for this. Hope she can hire a lawyer.
My Dad drove tow truck for many years and did repo work on the side. The way it works around here is the Sheriff (i live in a city but we still have a sheriffs dept. ontop of the regular Police) goes to the location and marks the car and then the driver (my dad) dollys and tows it. Then they just change the locks. He also did Repo for private banks which is different they would tell him where it is and the VIN number then he would just go and pick it up at night when nobody was around. He did get attacked once while doing it and started carrying a gun after that but it was more for his own peace of mind. Punching someone and taking the car while its in use is just uncalled for. It should have been towed away when nobody was near it. Attacking a woman no matter what she did especially infront of her child is just plain wrong.
Repo is nuts. First I never am in this position I only afford cars I can pay for outright or within a few months. My longest was 4 months. Any longer and I just look for a cheaper car or save up more money.
Anyway if anyone tried to repo a car Mine or anyone elses in the middle of the night or day I would shoot them first and then call the cops. Theft is theft. We have laws for how to do these things. You want to repo a car you got the local police and have a uniform come out with you to repo the car. Simple Easy Done. any other way and you get whats coming to you
I always find it interesting that they charge the highest interest to the least able to afford said interest. Does this mean you charge higher to those who do good. NO it means you charge equal interest to all. Interest rates on credit in this nation are criminal.
When you can be late a SINGLE payment and have your interest go from 10.2% to 30.14% something is DECIDEDLY wrong here. To me anything above 10% interest (30% total agregated) is CRIMINAL and should be illegal.
Even if they were trying to yank her out of the car and his hand “slipped”…doesn’t that still constitute attempted carjacking…repo man or not? I mean, even if you were late on a payment, would you let someone at a stoplight reach into your car and try to take your keys? I mean…how is she to know they are repo men and not con artists?
I’m curious if the woman threw the first punch. I would also be curious if the repo guys showed her paperwork from the lender. I’m sure the lender sent her paperwork telling her that she has been missing payments. It’s really a no-brainer. You don’t own your vehicle until you have the title to the vehicle. The bank was just reclaiming what they owned. It stinks but we don’t know the whole story. Maybe the woman was gambling her car payment at the casino. I guess what worse now is the bank is going to sell the car at a auction at wholesale if there lucky and they are going to sue the woman for the difference in the loan amount and what it sells for at the auction.
http://rockytop97.wordpress.com/flush-the-debt/