City Park staff detained for towing car with sleeping child inside

Georgian law enforcement officers have detained three City Park employees for allegedly restricting freedom to a minor after they towed a parked car with a young child inside.

Tbilisi Patrol Police arrested three City Park employees, only named as Levan G, Dimitri L and Tornike K for illegally restricting freedom to a minor. The minor is believed to be an 11-year-old citizen of France and was sleeping in the vehicle when it was towed, said the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

City Park is the company responsible for enforcing parking in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. 

On Sunday the Ministry’s Operative Response Centre 112 received a report stating City Park had towed a Toyota car from Eliava open market to the parking lot assigned for vehicles that had violated parking rules. 

The call noted a young child was inside the vehicle when it was being removed. 

Patrol officers arrived at the parking lot as soon as the report was received and they found that when the vehicle was being towed, French citizen Luka S was sleeping in the vehicle.” 

Afterwards police said the young child was returned to his parents safely.

The Ministry said an investigation was underway regarding the actions of the City Park employees for illegally restricting freedom to a minor. 

The three detained City Park staff have not been officially charged yet.

City Park responded to the allegations and stressed its staff were unaware a child was inside the car when it was being towed.

The windows were darkened and we have no right to open [another person’s] property…The child did not give any signal that he was there,” said a City Park representative, adding there was no intention for City Park staff to abduct or deprive the child of freedom. 

When our employees understood that the child was inside the car they immediately phoned 112,” said the City Park representative.