Roxbury Woman Says Neighbor Put Parking Boot On Her Car

ROXBURY (CBS) – A Roxbury woman is furious after discovering her SUV's tire had been locked by a boot. It wasn't done by the city, she says, but at the hands of an angry neighbor.

"What made you do this? How do you think you can? I immediately got very amped up because I couldn't believe it," said Alina Lopez-Thomas of Roxbury.

There was an overwhelming sense of disbelief Friday, when Alina Lopez-Thomas discovered a red-and-yellow boot secured firmly to her SUV's tire. This wasn't the result of unpaid parking tickets, but the act of a fellow driver.

"He said, 'You parked in my space that I shoveled out.' And I said, 'I parked in your space that you shoveled out? Are you for real? The storm happened on Monday. It's Friday,'" said Lopez-Thomas.

A photo taken along Linwood Street in Roxbury shows the alleged culprit, along with his boot. We're not identifying him because he has yet to be charged with a crime.

Patti Talbot lives nearby and admits parking is tough in the neighborhood but tells us it was a petty move.

"It was wild. I couldn't imagine why he would do it unless it was in the heat of the moment," said Talbot.

The man eventually removed the boot after Lopez-Thomas called the police. And even they were stunned.

"The other officer had said after that in all his time and service that he's never seen anything like this. This was by far the craziest thing that he saw," she said.

Since the boot caused minor damage to her vehicle, police say the man could be charged with vandalism. Although it's a laughable moment now, Lopez-Thomas says she does plan to press charges come Monday morning.