Dozens of Donald Trump supporters in North Carolina were surprised to find their cars towed after they reportedly got permission to park in a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot during a campaign rally on Wednesday.
The rally in Charlotte marked the former president’s first public campaign event since Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and the assassination attempt on Trump.
The Secret Service reportedly recommended against any further outdoor gatherings of the former president following the assassination attempt.
Once the rally was over, drivers were stunned to find their cars had been towed away.
Trump rushes to define Harris as “more left than Bernie Sanders”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump took center stage at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 24, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
Drivers told WBTV that Dunkin’ Donuts managers allowed them to leave their cars in the parking lot during the rally, but when reached for comment, several said they were told they couldn’t park there and that signs on the premises said no parking was permitted for non-customers.
A tow truck reportedly showed up during the rally and began removing vehicles from the parking lot.
“The parking lot manager assured us we could park here,” Trump rally-goer Xander DeSoto told WBTV. “Some of the people here even gave money to the parking lot manager.”
Trump criticizes Harris for returning to the 2024 presidential campaign
Former President Trump repeatedly criticized Vice President Kamala Harris over border security during a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 24, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
To make matters worse, people whose cars were towed from the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot had to pay towing companies hundreds of dollars to get their cars back.
“Something is suspicious. [is] “I’m amazed that it’s happening here because I’ve never seen anything like this before,” one attendee told WBTV.
Another man said he confronted the manager of the Dunkin’ Donuts store, who then locked the doors and refused to let him leave.
Trump shooting: Timeline of assassination attempt raises questions about how gunman escaped security
A crowd gathers at Bojangles’ Coliseum before former President Trump appears at a rally on July 24, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
“The whole parking lot is gone… No one’s there,” he explained. “The doors are locked. No one answers the phone, no one answers the counter.”
One family told WBTV they traveled more than two hours to attend the rally, and when they walked back to their car after it was over, it was gone.
Gotcha Towing and Recovery, the company tasked with towing vehicles from the lot, told WBTV there were signs warning that illegally parked vehicles would be removed.
Click here to get the FOX News app
The towing company added that the store manager had contacted the company and asked them to remove the car from the lot. The only way people could get their car back was to pay a $380 towing fee.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gotcha Towing & Recovery, but the company declined to comment.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Dunkin’ Donuts for comment.
