KENNEWICK, Wash. – A man has been arrested in connection with a parking scam outside the Toyota Center in Kennewick.
The incident occurred on Saturday, November 23, when Kennewick Police were alerted to a group of men, charging cars for parking spaces in a city-owned lot. The scam took place during a Los Tigres del Norte concert, which attracted over 5,000 guests.
Corey Pearson, Executive Director at the Toyota Center, said the scammers were quick and went unnoticed at first.
“So we had already kind of been watching the perimeter, been paying attention, but they had came in, set up quick… after 30 years, I think this might be a first,” he said.
The scammers appeared organized and official, using cones, vests, and a credit card machine to deceive attendees.
“My understanding is… they went and bought them over at Lowe’s set up,” said Pearson. “They were prepared to do this.”
According to a Facebook post by the Kennewick Police Department, officers working the venue confronted the scammers around 8:20 p.m. at the gravel lot east of the Toyota Center. Officer Jesus Contreras reiterated that the group was not authorized to be there.
“This gravel lot did not belong to them. It actually belongs to the city of Kennewick,” said Officer Contreras.
Officer Contreras says one man was arrested Saturday, and there is currently an investigation into two other persons involved. He does not believe the Hispanic community was specifically targeted, but rather that the scammers chose a high-attendance event.
The investigation is ongoing, and Officer Contreras urges anyone who may have paid the scammers to contact the Kennewick Police Department.
