Dozens of attendees stranded after vehicles towed during Trump rally in Charlotte: report

Dozens of Donald Trump supporters in North Carolina were startled to find their vehicles had been towed after they reportedly got permission to park in a Dunkin’ parking lot during a campaign rally Wednesday.

The Charlotte rally was the former president’s first public campaign event since President Biden’s exit from the 2024 race and since the assassination attempt on Trump.

The Secret Service has reportedly recommended no more outdoor rallies for the former president after the assassination attempt.

Once the rally ended, drivers were stunned to find their vehicles had been towed.

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Drivers told WBTV the manager of the Dunkin’ allowed them to leave their cars in the lot during the rally. However, when asked for comment, they said several people were told they could not park there and that signs on the property indicate no parking for non-customers.

A spokesperson for Dunkin’ told Fox News Digital that no one from that store gave anyone permission to park in the lot and said that there are signs along the street that state you can not park there unless you are in the business and if you do park, you are at risk of being towed. 

He also added that a bar across from Dunkin’ was having a rally event and drivers could have been misinformed by someone there.

Tow trucks reportedly showed up and began removing vehicles from the parking lot during the rally.

“The managers inside promised that they could park here,” Zander DeSoto, a Trump rally attendee, told WBTV. “Some of the people here even gave money to the people inside.”

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Former President Trump repeatedly criticized Vice President Kamala Harris on border security at his rally in Charlotte, N.C., July 24, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser )

To make matters worse, people whose vehicles were towed from the Dunkin’ parking lot had to pay hundreds of dollars to a towing company to get their cars back. 

“Something very fishy [is] going on here because I’ve never seen anything like this happen before,” one attendee told WBTV.

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The crowd inside the Bojangles Coliseum ahead of former President Trump’s appearance at a rally in Charlotte, N.C., July 24, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

“The whole parking lot is gone … everybody,” he explained. “They locked the doors. They won’t answer our calls, and they won’t even answer at the window.”

One family told WBTV they traveled over two hours to attend the rally. And when they walked back to their car afterward, it was gone. 

Gotcha Towing & Recovery, the company tasked with towing vehicles from the parking lot, told WBTV there was a sign warning that illegally parked cars would be removed, and the only way people could get their cars was to pay a $380 towing fee.

The Dunkin’ spokesperson said they do not have any connection to the towing company and that it is outsourced through the city or privately and not through Dunkin’. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Gotcha Towing & Recovery, which refused to comment.