Video: Coast Guard Officer Arrested at Gunpoint for Driving His Own Car

This screenshot is from The Civil Rights Lawyer on YouTube.

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On July 1, 2025, an unmarked Ford F-150 rammed the truck of Coast Guard Officer Shane Sprague in the parking lot of the physical therapy office he’d just left near Sunrise, Florida. According to law enforcement, Shane’s vehicle he’d legitimately purchased less than two weeks before had been reported stolen by the dealership from which he’d bought it. Even after providing evidence that he bought the car legitimately, officers held Shane a little too long.

What Happened

On June 21, 2025, Shane Sprague went to a Sunrise, Florida Volkswagen dealership and bought his dream truck, a GMC 1500 AT4X. According to Civil Rights Lawyer John H. Bryan, who is not on the case, Shane had been wanting this specific truck for many years. He test drove the truck and loved it.

To afford the vehicle, Shane saved money to put down the $15,000 deposit. He even traded in his 2012 Ford Focus. In the end, he financed the rest of the $61,230. He was happy to do so nonetheless.

An employee took a photo of a smiling Shane inside the car after the purchase. Later, the same employee texted Shane to thank him for the purchase and wished him well. Ten days later, Shane experienced one of the most harrowing incidents of his life.

The Arrest

Earlier in the day on July 1, Shane went to work as usual. Then, he headed to his physical therapy appointment. Afterwards, he climbed into his truck in the parking lot of the therapy office. Before he could pull off, he was rammed from behind by an unmarked Ford F-150.

As he checked to see what had happened, police cars flooded the lot. Officers hopped out and drew their guns on Shane. Bodycam footage shows the arrest, with Shane confused but compliant, as he raised his hands above his head.

Officers then placed him in handcuffs in front of bystanders and the physical therapy staff and put him in the back of a police cruiser. An officer’s bodycam filmed Shane asking what the problem was. The officer told him that “the lead officer will come over and explain it to you.” Shane remained calm but said, “I’m at a complete loss right now.” The officers responded vaguely and continued promising that the “lead detective” would come over and speak with him.

Before any officer explained what was going on, they searched Shane’s vehicle. After finding nothing, they transported him to the police station and put him in a holding cell, where they instructed him to wait.

Some time later, Shane was moved to an interrogation room. In the interrogation video, Shane was cornered by two detectives who explained the problem. “So, the vehicle was reported stolen out of the [Dural Volkswagen] dealership,” one detective said. He then asked how Shane got the vehicle, and Shane started from the top.

Shane said he had spoken to a couple of people at the dealership, but Ali was his main sales representative. He also recalled speaking with the manager, Chris, and test driving the truck.

In one part of the footage, Shane showed the detectives his messages with an employee named Ali from the dealership. Shane confirmed the name of the employee before he read the text aloud. “Hi, Shane. Real pleasure meeting you today. Thank you for your business. Best wishes,” Shane read. In response, the main detective nonchalantly nodded his head and says, “Cool.”

Eventually, the detectives made the call to the dealership that should have been made beforehand. During this call, they confirmed Shane was the lawful owner of the truck and that it was not stolen. The lead detective said, “I’ll just tell you straight up you can sue them.” Shane followed that advice and is suing Dural Volkswagen for wrongly reporting his truck as stolen and effectively putting his life at risk.

The Takeaway

Sunrise, Florida Coast Guard Officer Shane Sprague was arrested after Dural Volkswagen falsely reported his truck as stolen. During the arrest, Shane’s vehicle was rammed and damaged by officers. He was arrested at gunpoint without being given any information until he was inside of an interrogation room. During the interrogation, Shane was forced to prove his own innocence using his phone. It took longer than it should have, but the detectives eventually called the dealership and confirmed Shane’s story. Shane is now suing the Dural Dealership. Watch the video with commentary here.

FOLLOW the author Jermaine Reed, MFA on X @ Jermaine Reed, MFA for his controversial but real hot takes.