Newly released bodycam footage shows that a single VIN entry error at a Florida dealership and a manager's decision to activate a LoJack tracker led to Coast Guard veteran Shane Sprague being rammed, handcuffed and held at gunpoint. Deputies detained him for about four hours before detectives confirmed the purchase and released him. Sprague has sued Doral Volkswagen for negligence and false imprisonment; the dealership is seeking arbitration and mediation is scheduled later this year.
New Bodycam Footage Reveals How A Dealership VIN Mistake Led To Coast Guard Veteran Being Held At Gunpoint
New Bodycam Reveals How Dealership Mistake Led to Coast Guard Officer’s Gunpoint Detention
Newly released bodycam footage and public-records material obtained by attorney John H. Bryan provide fresh detail about how a single administrative error at a Florida dealership set off a chain of events that left Coast Guard maintenance chief Shane Sprague detained at gunpoint.
What Happened
On June 21, 2025, Sprague — a 27-year Coast Guard veteran and the maintenance chief at Coast Guard Air Station Opa-Locka — purchased a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X from Doral Volkswagen for $61,230 after a deposit and a trade-in. The dealership photographed him with the truck, his salesperson sent a congratulatory text, and Sprague drove the vehicle home.
Unbeknownst to him, the dealership's finance manager entered the wrong VIN into the dealer inventory system: the VIN for a Chevrolet Silverado that happened to be on the lot, not the GMC Sierra Sprague had just bought. Because of that mistake, the Sierra appeared unsold in inventory while the Silverado was listed under Sprague's license plate. The error went unnoticed until a manager discovered the mismatch during a routine audit.
Manager's Response And The Police Action
Bodycam video recorded inside the dealership shows the manager calling the Doral Police Department rather than confirming the sale with the salesperson who handled the transaction — the salesman, according to footage, remained in the showroom through the entire incident. The manager also requested activation of the vehicle's LoJack tracker.
Attorney Ignacio Alvarez, representing Sprague, summarized the mistake: "The financial person...used the wrong VIN number at some point in the paperwork. He did everything else correct. The price was correct, the payoff was correct, everything was correct. He just entered a VIN for a Silverado, not for the GMC."
Florida law requires buyers be notified if a LoJack device is installed and given the option to have it removed. Doral Volkswagen did not notify Sprague that the vehicle was being tracked — a significant omission, Alvarez says, because Sprague holds a high security clearance and cannot knowingly carry tracking devices.
The LoJack pinged the truck to a parking lot in Tamarac, Broward County. Broward County Sheriff's deputies arrived and used an unmarked Ford F-150 to ram the rear of Sprague's truck to prevent it from leaving. Deputies then surrounded the vehicle with firearms drawn. Bodycam footage shows Sprague — surprised and confused — being handcuffed and placed in a patrol car without being told why; deputies did not ask for his identification or question him at the scene.
Sprague remained handcuffed for roughly an hour before Doral detectives arrived. He was then transported to a local station, spent time in a holding cell, and was brought into an interrogation room. Sprague's attorneys say a leg restraint was attached beneath the table during questioning, a detail not visible in the released footage.
During the interview, Sprague produced text messages and photos showing the sale and that he had driven the truck away from the dealership. A detective stepped out to confirm the purchase with a dealership contact and returned to say on camera, "It sounds like they messed up." Sprague was released after about four hours in custody.
Aftermath And Legal Action
The truck was damaged in the ramming, and Sprague declined to complete the purchase. Doral Volkswagen returned his deposit and canceled the financing; Sprague left in a rental car from Enterprise.
Sprague has filed a civil suit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court against Doral Volkswagen, which is owned by Lithia Motors. His complaint alleges negligence, false imprisonment, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and violations of Florida consumer protection law. The dealership has described the episode as "an isolated occurrence caused by human error" and says it is "committed to working toward a resolution." Its attorneys have moved to compel arbitration under the purchase contract.
A Florida state court has directed that an arbitrator first decide whether the arbitration clause is valid, a procedural step that has delayed resolution of the underlying claims. Mediation is scheduled for later this year, and—if mediation fails—trial is not expected before 2027. No civil suit has been filed against the Broward County Sheriff's Office or the Doral Police Department.
Alvarez emphasized the personal consequences: "He is very emotionally affected by this. He'll get phone calls from people that he's worked with or people that he knows saying, 'Hey, did you get arrested for driving a stolen car?' Now he has that cloud over him that he stole a car when in reality he was trying to buy his dream car. So he's had problems at work. He's had problems with his colleagues."
The bodycam footage and released records show how a preventable administrative error, combined with a manager's choice to call police rather than check with staff, escalated into an armed intervention that could likely have been resolved in minutes with a phone call.
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