Screenshot : Q13 Fox ( YouTube

After Seattle property-owner Dan Smith tried unsuccessfully for hours to have a Share Now (formerly car2go) car removed from his property, he took an unconventional approach. He constructed an elaborate barricade around the Mercedez-Benz.




Smith told the Seattle Times that when he noticed someone had parked the vehicle—marked with decals for the ride-share company—in a parking spot belonging to one of his tenants on May 17, he first contacted Share Now and told the company it had two hours to get the car. But Smith reportedly didn’t hear back from the company for six hours.

At that point he told the company he would move the car himself, but, as Smith told the Seattle Times, a Share Now representative said he couldn’t since he’s is not a member.


“I called tow companies. The tow companies said to call the police. The police said call the tow companies,” Smith told Seattle Times.

Fed up with the situation, Smith built a barricade around the car, with signs that read “Private Property” and “Car2Go may not trespass on this property.”

As Smith told local news station Q13 Fox, the situation has since become a business matter. Smith said he was concerned about the liability of Share Now essentially inviting customers onto his property “What if somebody drives into the house? What if somebody gets hurt? “I had no idea what liability nightmare I’d be in for.” he told Q13. “So I only wanted the car to be moved under very controlled situations.”

Smith is reportedly asking for reimbursement—$65 per day for impound fee and a $500 fee for “renter harassment,” according to Seattle Times.

Tim Krebs, a spokesperson for Share Now, told Gizmodo that the company has tried to “work in good faith” with Smith to retrieve the vehicle, but Smith has “rejected” the company’s efforts. Krebs confirmed the vehicle was still on Smith’s property at the time of publishing.


“Share Now will continue to operate on behalf of our customers,” Krebs told Gizmodo. “But we will not allow anyone acting with ulterior motives, including anyone attempting to extort our business by holding our property illegally, to prevent us from providing transportation to the citizens of Seattle. We would like to avoid taking legal action and hope for a quick resolution.”

The Seattle Police did not immediately respond for a Gizmodo request for comment, but a police spokesperson told the Seattle Times that if a car is parked on private property without the owner’s permission, the owner can have it towed.


Smith told the newspaper he doesn’t know how long the standoff will continue.