Chicago area man pulled over at gunpoint due to car paperwork error
GURNEE, Ill. (CBS) – A driver was pulled over at gunpoint, handcuffed, and detained all because of a mistake with his car paperwork.
What began as a typical Tuesday morning changed with a flip of lights by Gurnee police. The driver being pulled over immediately obeyed.
Another officer pulled up, and then more backup rolled in.
One of the officers yelled, "Exit the vehicle, keeping your hands up. Face away from me."
Caglar Ozata continued to comply. But he was confused, especially because the commands were coming from officers with their guns drawn.
"I'm not drunk. I'm not doing anything wrong," Ozata said later, recalling the experience.
But more weapons appeared when investigators searched Ozata's car after he stepped out. Gurnee police said the level of response was necessary for what they considered at the time to be a "high-risk traffic stop."
Officer: "The vehicle is reported stolen."
Ozata: "Oh my God."
Ozata learned the problem as he was being handcuffed. Nothing made sense to him.
"I purchased this car last September 26, 2023, and then I paid the price in full," he said in an interview.
Officer: "Is this the registered owner? It is. Ok. Step on out. We're taking off your handcuffs."
Ozata: "That was unnecessary. Unnecessary."
His frustrations were far from over.
Ozata was still taken to the Gurnee Police Station because of an issue with his title. The driver was put in a holding cell ahead of questioning. It was all something he feared would happen because he never received a title document that proved he really owned the car.
"Constantly was visiting the Secretary of State and asking for my title," Ozata said. "They said, wait, it's processing, processing."
The Secretary of State's Office said the title processing is done by paper and sent through standard mail, which often takes four to six weeks after a vehicle is purchased to receive the important document. The agency said it hopes to shorten the wait by implementing Electronic Lien Titling (ELT), which would require the dealership to communicate directly with the band with electronic and non-paper-based signatures and various verification points. The office believes would have prevented Ozata's situation as well as fraud, reduce errors and cut the title processing time down from weeks to minutes. The new system is expected to go into effect this summer.
He showed CBS 2 the receipts, registration, and repair bills he carried wherever he drove just in case he was pulled over.
"The cops says, 'Oh these days, every paperwork can be copied, or fake copied,'" Ozata said.
It turned out something was fake. Police from the Illinois Secretary of State's Office said they received a suspicious-looking lien release as part of a title application for Ozata's vehicle.
An undercover state investigator sent to the police station explained "The way the documents are submitted to us, it looks like fraud."
The suspicious-looking paperwork came from Toyota of Fox Lake where Ozata bought his car. Dealership higher-ups told CBS 2 that they discovered a clerk made an "inadvertent clerical error" and "attempted to correct her error," but she "was not authorized to send the letter in the form she did." The employee who made the mistake is no longer with the dealership, they said.
In fact, Secretary of State police arrested the dealership clerk on two misdemeanors related to the case. Investigators said her "mistake" is what set off the dramatic traffic stop.
Ozata asked police, "What did I do wrong?"
The Secretary of State police officer responded, "It looks like you didn't do anything wrong."
Ozata was let go without any charges. The immigrant from Turkey said he's scared to drive his car now.
"I came here for more civil rights, for democracy," he said. "But I am just shocked."
Ozata finally received his proper title a few days ago. For those wondering, you don't need to carry the title in the car. The issue during his traffic stop was that the car was listed as stolen.
Secretary of State police said they've never encountered a case like this before.
The dealership said in a statement:
"The situation here arises from an inadvertent clerical error. When Mr. Ozata purchased a used vehicle from Fox Lake Toyota, he paid for the vehicle in full. However, one of our title clerks mistakenly placed a lien on the vehicle with Toyota Financial Services ("TFS"), a lender that we commonly use to arrange financing for our customers. There was no ill-intent in placing the lien, just an employee who was moving too quickly.
When the mistake was realized, the same clerk attempted to correct her error by sending a letter to the Illinois Secretary of State asking that the lien be removed so that a duplicate title could be issued to Mr. Ozata. Our clerk was only trying to expedite the titling error, but she should have done this differently and was not authorized to send the letter in the form she did.
Although we do not have any first-hand knowledge of the incident where Mr. Ozata was pulled over in Gurnee, Illinois, Mr. Ozata did tell us that when he was pulled over he had all of the original paperwork regarding his purchase of the vehicle in the glove box and that he showed the paperwork to the police officers. We cannot comment on the actions taken by the Gurnee police department other than to say we had no control over their decision-making.
We have reached out to Mr. Ozata, offered him our sincerest apologies, advised him that the employee who made the mistake is no longer with the dealership, and offered to provide him with a vehicle to drive while we secure a proper title in his name with no lien recorded. Our dealership prides itself on treating all of its customers with respect and we do our very best to immediately address any complaint that is brought to our attention."
