A Twentynine Palms man was not happy Thursday morning when he discovered his pick-up truck was being repossessed out of his driveway. About 7 a.m. Thursday, John Gaoa, 48, of the 71800 block of Indian Trail, discovered his white Dodge Ram truck was being loaded onto the back of a tow truck to be repossessed. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Rick Millard, vehicle owners can protest the repossession of their vehicle—up to a point. But once the vehicle is loaded or hooked up to the tow truck, it is a legal repossession and the owners have no recourse. According to the Sheriff’s report, Gaoa, started arguing with the tow truck driver, and threatened to cut him with a razor blade and scratched the tow truck’s side with the razor blade. The tow truck driver told deputies that Gaoa cut straps holding the truck down and the hydraulic lines of his tow truck, disabling it, so he couldn’t release the repossessed truck, even if he wanted to. And then Gaoa also sat inside his Dodge truck and refused to get out. John Gaoa was arrested, cited for vandalism and released.
