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More than 100 Coachella guests caught fraudulently using disabled parking placards

More than 100 Coachella guests caught fraudulently using disabled parking placards
Posted 8:07 PM, Apr 24, 2018
and last updated 8:29 PM, Apr 24, 2018

(KGTV) - More than 150 Coachella concert-goers had to face the music after fraudulently using disabled parking placards or parking spaces.

Indio Police checked nearly 2,000 placards during the two-weekend run of Coachella Valley Music Festival. At least 135 guests were cited for fraudulent using placards and another 18 were cited for using disabled parking without a permit.

The ratio was less than the previous year, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, dropping from one in every 13 people to one in every seven.

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Those who abuse use of the placard can have their placard confiscated, receive a misdemeanor citation, and be fined anywhere from $250 to $1,000.

The violation also appears on offenders' driving record.

"When someone misuses a disabled person parking placard, it impedes the mobility of our disabled community," said Jean Shiomoto, DMV Director. “I’m asking all able-bodied Californians to save the space."