“I’m too petty for this to happen to me.”
A Hyundai Elantra driver’s decision to park on a public street turned into a viral nightmare when homeowners allegedly retaliated with spray paint and trash cans.
Reign (@reigndb_) posted a 14-second video on Nov. 3 showing her car surrounded by rolling garbage bins and covered in green spray paint. The clip has since garnered 4.7 million views.
The brief but shocking footage shows Reign’s vehicle completely blocked in by trash cans on all sides, with both the car and the bins vandalized with matching green spray paint.
“I’m parked on the street, and this house thinks they own this parking spot,” Reign explains in the video. “So I parked on the street here, and they put all of their trash cans around it behind my car and then spray-painted my car.”
In her follow-up videos, Reign revealed this wasn’t her first confrontation with the homeowners over the public parking space. She explained that several weeks prior, she had moved their trash cans from the street parking spot on a Saturday night and parked there without incident.
“The guy came out, and he’s like, ‘Hey, you can’t park here,’ and I was like. ‘Yes, I can,'” Reign said in her third video posted Nov. 4. “He’s like, ‘You can’t touch my trash.’ …I said, ‘Well, they’re in a public parking spot.’ …And he’s like, ‘You don’t even live here.’ I’m like, ‘Exactly, so I don’t have a garage or carport or driveway like you do to park, so this is for people like me who don’t live here.'”
The situation escalated when Reign returned to park in the same spot the night before the vandalism occurred. She moved the trash cans again, placing them “on top of the grass right there” before going inside. When she came out the next morning to go to work, she discovered the scene captured in her viral video.
In a follow-up video, Reign stated that she immediately called the police.
“So I filed a police report for vandalism, and that’s all I can do legally right now,” she said. “I wish there was more I could do, but that’s all I can do.”
The police response proved frustrating. While officers took a report and gathered information from one resident, they told Reign there was “no admission of guilt” and that the case would require more evidence to pursue charges.
In her most recent update, posted Nov. 15, Reign says she spoke with a detective who had been trying to contact the homeowners about security footage.
“The guy told him that he doesn’t have any cameras. He doesn’t know anything about paint on a car, which is a lie because you’re literally your name, your number is in the police report about the paint on the car,” she explained.
Frustrated with the criminal justice response, Reign has decided to pursue civil action.
“I just want to drag them through hell at this point,” she said in her third video. “Anything I can do to drag y’all through hell legally, where y’all got to get out of bed and go to … I’m going to do it.”
Small claims court is a common avenue for property damage cases like vandalism, where victims can seek compensation for repair costs. To file a small claims case, plaintiffs must identify the defendant’s correct legal name and current address—essential information for proper service of legal papers. Reign is gathering this necessary information, including obtaining the homeowner’s name from the police report.
She also mentioned plans to canvass neighbors for potential security footage of the incident. Physical evidence, like repair estimates, photos of damage, and witness statements, is crucial for proving both liability and the amount of damages in small claims court.
The dispute appears to have affected other drivers in the area. During the initial police response, Reign said, “Some guy came outside, and he said that they did it to his car. They also flattened tires and everything for people who just come to that spot.”
The confrontation highlights common misunderstandings about street parking rights. Public streets are owned by municipalities, not adjacent property owners, meaning homeowners cannot legally reserve parking spaces in front of their homes. As legal experts note, citizens generally do not have exclusive rights to parking spaces on public streets, which operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
Using personal property like trash cans or cones to block public parking spaces is prohibited under California Vehicle Code 21465 and similar ordinances across the country. Law enforcement agencies in San Francisco, New York City, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles have all issued warnings that such practices are illegal and can result in fines.
Vandalizing vehicles parked legally on public streets constitutes criminal property damage, regardless of any parking dispute. Most states classify vandalism as a misdemeanor when damages are under $400-$1,000, but it becomes a felony for more serious damage. Convicted offenders typically face fines, potential jail time, and mandatory restitution to repair the damage.
The viral video sparked intense debate in the comments section, with viewers split between supporting Reign’s right to park on public streets and questioning whether the confrontation could have been avoided.
“It’s called taxes, and the answer would be yes, we do personally pay for the street,” one commenter wrote, though another quickly responded, “then it’s everyone’s streets, because everyone pays or has to pay taxes.”
Legal professionals in the comments section offered encouragement about Reign’s case. “As a paralegal it is enough, evidence is not just video,” wrote user Jidda329, while another noted, “The green paint is pretty good circumstantial evidence.” Indeed, circumstantial evidence—which requires reasonable inferences rather than direct proof—is admissible in both civil and criminal cases and can be just as powerful as direct evidence.
Some viewers shared similar experiences with territorial homeowners. “Had the same thing happen to me, went to my friends house to an empty spot, came out with a smashed window and car surrounded by a trash can and recycling bin,” user Kurry shared, adding that their case also went unresolved due to a lack of evidence.
Despite the challenges with criminal prosecution, Reign remains determined to hold the homeowners accountable through civil court. The detective told her that without clear video evidence, criminal charges would be difficult to pursue, but civil court operates under a different standard of proof.
While criminal cases require proof “beyond a reasonable doubt,” civil cases use the “preponderance of evidence” standard—meaning plaintiffs need only prove their claims are more likely than not true. This lower threshold makes civil litigation a viable path when criminal prosecution proves difficult.
“They going to be worried about me for a long time. Much longer than they thought they was going to have to worry about me,” Reign said in her final update.
The case serves as a reminder that while street parking disputes are common in urban areas, resorting to vandalism can result in serious legal and financial consequences. Property damage charges and civil liability for repair costs can far exceed any inconvenience caused by someone parking on a public street.
Motor1 reached out to Reign via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.
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– The Motor1.com Team