A truck driver’s fake vintage California license plate caught the attention of law enforcement and led to his arrest on charges of DUI, meth possession, and other crimes, police said.
A motorcycle officer noticed the unique plate and pulled the driver over in Moorpark, California, a city northwest of Los Angeles. Though the plate had the yellow lettering and black background of a 1960s legacy plate, the similarities ended there.
Instead of “CALIFORNIA” above the identification number, the fake plate had the word “CALIFAS,” which is a Spanish slang term for California, according to KABC.
Additionally, the plate number’s lettering appeared to have been painted on by hand.
Officials said the driver appeared to be under the influence of drugs. The report also revealed that the driver, who has not been named, had an active warrant out for his arrest and did not have a driver’s license.
Authorities determined the tractor-trailer to be unsafe for driving and had it towed from the scene.
The arrest was one of many traffic enforcement stops the police department has conducted due to safety concerns surrounding commercial vehicles traveling through the area, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, which patrols the city of Moorpark, said in the report. The city sees about 243 commercial vehicles pass by every hour during the week.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said it has dedicated special enforcement efforts dedicated to commercial traffic because of the high number of trucks and commercial vehicles traveling through the city.
“The Moorpark Police Department, and the City of Moorpark, frequently receive complaints regarding traffic safety, due to the amount of tractor-trailers and commercial vehicles traveling through the city. The Moorpark Police Department is committed to ensuring safe travel of motor vehicles through the city,” according to officials.
As a result of increased enforcement, deputies have since Jan. 1, 2018, towed more than 60 tractor-trailer and commercial vehicles and issues 983 traffic and parking citations for commercial and truck violations for the following offenses:
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Possession of illegal drugs
- Transportation of illegal drugs for sales
- Possession of loaded firearms
- Possession of false driver’s licenses or vehicle registrations
- Warrants
People on the internet expressed shock that the badly-made fake license plate wasn’t a cake.
“Bahaha! I thought this was going this story was going to have a cute ending with a kid making a birthday cake,” one person wrote in a Facebook comment. “This is a ‘perfect’ replica of what my three year old made at her daycare.”
“This guy couldn’t give a little effort and spell California? True legend,” another person said via Twitter.
This guy just couldn’t give a little effort and spell california? True legend
— ChiefsFan82 (@chiefsfan82) June 11, 2019
“He’s following tradition. In the early days car owners made their own license plates,” another commented.
A big-rig truck driver was arrested after authorities spotted a phony license plate on his truck. The 1960s-style yellow-on-black plate had wobbly letters and numbers. Also, instead of “CALIFORNIA,” it read “CALIFAS.” https://t.co/rz2QJVNXTD #odd
— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) June 12, 2019
— Nightshift Worker (@NightshiftWorkr) June 11, 2019
