Dealership Error Leads to Arrest of Coast Guard Officer
Chief Warrant Officer Shane Sprague of the U.S. Coast Guard is suing Doral (Fla.) Volkswagen more than two months after mistakenly being accused of and arrested for stealing a truck from the dealership.
Sprague was handcuffed at gunpoint and held for several hours July 1. He had financed the purchase of a 2024 GMC 1500 AT4X at Doral VW 10 days prior. But dealership staff entered the wrong VIN on the retail sale installment contract and, ultimately, reported Sprague’s truck stolen.
The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages. Central to the case is body camera footage captured by Broward County Sheriff’s deputies. Sprague appears cooperative but genuinely confused as he is guided into the backseat of a green SUV.
“Can you guys tell me what’s going on?” he asks deputies.
“I was pulled out of my truck by BSO and put in a jail cell for four hours,” Sprague tells NBC 6 South Florida. “It was one of the scariest events of my life that I could haven’t ever prepared for.”
