ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A driver who had her tires slashed in a local neighborhood believes she could have been the target of vigilante justice.
It's in an area that has seen several other tire-slashing incidents. People in the apartment complex say they have had a problem with drivers parking in handicapped spots.
The woman we spoke to said she had all four tires slashed when she was parked in a handicapped spot.
She said if someone was trying to teach her a lesson, she would have rather paid the $250 dollar fine for parking here rather than paying $430 to have all four tires replaced.
“I had parked in the handicapped space at like 10:30 at night because it was the only parking spot left without being towed in the morning,” said victim Sara Foraker. “We only have a 1 car driveway so we don’t have anywhere else to park.”
Foraker said parking is an issue at this apartment complex where she lives in St. Augustine. She said she has been towed before because they are not allowed to park on the street. She said she found her car in rough shape after parking here overnight.
“We noticed that all 4 were actually stabbed,” Foraker said.
Foraker says she was on the way to a funeral that morning and replacing four tires was the last thing she wanted to deal with.
“My friends came over we filled them up with air and had to drive over a mile away to Discount Tire,” Foraker said.
According to a police report, Foraker is one of several people who have had their tires slashed in the apartment complex.
“The girl who got her tires slashed the other day she was on her way to school,” Foraker said.
That girl, who was driving her father's car, sent us pictures of the damaged tires.
Action News Jax: “Do you think it is someone who is mad that you parked in a handicapped spot, do you think it’s someone retaliating against that?”
Foraker: “I don’t think a handicapped person would do that because they are handicapped.”
Foraker said that she had to pay more than $400 for new tires and she is waiting to see if her insurance will pay for it. She also said from now on, she's not going to park there.
“It’s not very nice; I would have much rather paid a $250 fine,” Foraker said.
Cox Media Group
