A man who says he was hired to clear tree stumps at a Texas car dealership alleges he was not paid and then found his exit blocked by vehicles, including a police SUV, after a dispute over the work. The incident was captured in a TikTok video posted by user @esteravila6.
In the video, a narrator speaking in Spanish describes a tense scene at what appears to be a dealership lot. He claims a man he refers to as the dealer locked him in so he wouldn’t leave the property and told him he had called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The video footage shows a silver Range Rover and a black Volkswagen Tiguan parked in a way that appears to block a driveway or exit point. The narrator identifies a man standing near the black SUV as possibly the father or brother involved in the dispute.
A white Ford Police SUV, marked with “POLICE” and the number “59,” is also seen further obstructing the exit. The narrator states, “He just told me he called ICE just because he didn’t want to, he didn’t want to pay us, literally he doesn’t want to pay us.”
The dispute centered on payment for stump grinding work
The narrator explains that he and others had been working at the location “literally all day” until 11 p.m., grinding tree stumps. He alleges the refusal to pay led to the confrontation and the threat of calling authorities.
The video shows the narrator pointing to the rear of the police SUV, where a license plate frame reads “G Motors” and “GmotorsTX.com.” He then pans to a large black sign in the background that reads “A Motors SELL US YOUR CAR” and “AMotorsTX.com,” which he identifies as the name of the dealer.
A man in a black shirt and pants, whom the narrator describes as “the guy from Iraq,” is seen getting into the black Volkswagen Tiguan. The narrator claims this individual was the one who threatened to call immigration authorities. The Tiguan’s license plate is shown to read “TIGUAN TEXAS DEALER 1BJ-4100” with a small yellow ‘G’ logo.
Towards the end of the video, the vehicles blocking the exit begin to move. The narrator concludes, “They called the police, they called ICE, but they are already moving. As they see me recording and he saw that I recorded him, the guy moved away.”
The video’s public caption does not provide additional context. The TikTok clip has drawn numerous comments from viewers, with several suggesting the actions described could constitute illegal detention. One comment reads, “hablale ala policia no te pueden retener eso es secuestro” (call the police, they can’t detain you, that’s kidnapping). Another states, “Eso es secuestro” (That is kidnapping). The video’s public caption does not provide additional context, but the incident adds to a pattern of business owners aggressively confronting customers, as seen when a female owner at Lin’s Chinese Cuisine told a customer to leave after he bought food and sat down to eat.
Other comments offered advice, such as “cobren 60 % anticipado.. no quiere pagar el anticipo no hay trabajó.. sencillo” (charge 60% upfront.. if they don’t want to pay the deposit there’s no work.. simple). Another commenter wrote, “Llame usted a la policía y haga una denuncia y tiene un reporte de eso” (You call the police and file a report and you have a record of that).
The identities of the dealership and the individuals mentioned in the video have not been independently verified. The claims made in the video regarding non-payment and the threat of calling ICE are allegations made by the narrator.
