SALT LAKE CITY — One Salt Lake City woman didn't know her car's license plates were switched until she was handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle.
Brit Brainerd was driving her brother and father to the airport on Dec. 28 when multiple police cars pulled her over.
"I hear shouting and I'm like, 'Wait, what's going on?' And I look back and there's guns drawn at me," she said.
Salt Lake City police officers told her that the car was reported stolen.
"It was terrifying," said Brainerd. "It wasn't until I was in the back of the squad that I looked through the windshield and noticed that wasn't my license plate."
Brainerd's car matched the stolen vehicle all the way down to the color, year, make and model. But the confusion was a first for the officers who responded to the scene.
"That right there just shows you the lengths that some of these car thieves will take to try and avoid being detected," said Sgt. Mike Wian
The situation was quickly resolved and Brainerd and her family were released with no issue and a mutual understanding.
"Traffic stops are one of the most inherently dangerous things our officers do, and when you do come across a stolen vehicle, that just raises the alertness a little bit," said Wian.
When asked if they knew their own license plate numbers, many Utahns in downtown Salt Lake City admitted they had no clue.
"No," said Dalleb Wheelwight.
"No, not at all," answered Chuck Felici.
"It's something L-P," Daniel Leaver wondered. "I don't know. ULP?"
Brainerd doesn't know how long she was driving with the stolen plates and police believe the stolen car is still out there.
"I went to the DMV and even she was like, 'I wouldn't think about checking my plates,'" laughed Brainerd. "I never did until that day, and I'll never forget it."
