It’s been over a month since LAPD Chief Charlie Beck promised a new truck to Emma Hernandez, 71, and her daughter, Margie Carranza, the two newspaper delivery women who were shot at during the manhunt for Christopher Dorner.
STORY: LAPD To Give 71-Year-Old Woman New Truck After Shooting Hers Up
But it turns out the two women will not be getting a new replacement truck as promised by the LAPD after all, according to their attorney Glen Jonas.
NBC LA reports:
Police said it was a “case of mistaken identity” that prompted officers to open fire on the women. Beck later apologized and promised to replace their truck, now riddled with bullet holes.
According to Jonas, LAPD and Galpin Ford wanted his clients to pose for a photo opportunity and pay income tax on the truck. The women no longer want the truck after they were told they needed to fill out a 1099 form for the donation, Jonas said Monday.
“You tried to murder the woman, now you’re telling her she can’t have a four-wheel drive, you’re telling her she can’t sell it and you’ve got to be taxed on it?” Jonas said. “How would anyone react to that?”
Jonas plans on filing a government claim, which is a precursor to any lawsuit filed against a government agency. He said he felt the truck was being touted as a “reward or prize” instead of a sincere gesture by the LAPD.
Galpin Ford estimates the value of the truck – a 2013 Ford 150 SuperCrew – at $32,560. The dealership had planned on paying the sales tax, vehicle registration and title on the truck, according to a dealership spokesperson.
“It’s really sad for us because we want to help these women move on with their lives, and help them move forward with that, we just can’t get past the 1099 issue,” LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said. “The government has to take their bite out of it, I guess.”
The women’s Toyota Tacoma was pierced with 102 bullet holes from the Feb. 7 shooting.
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SOURCE: NBC LA
