More than 100 Detroit Lions fans got "extra" tickets during last night's game, Detroit city parking tickets.
Apparently parking enforcement officers blitzed the vacant lot at Brush and Alfred and issued the tickets while the fans were inside Ford Field during the game.
The tickets are time stamped during the game and are not cheap, $45 each.
A $69 late fee is added if the tickets are not paid within 30 days. This could have been a payday for Detroit of $4,000 to $5,000 or more.
Two Lions season ticket holders contacted the 7 Investigators to say they've been parking in this lot for years and say this is way out of bounds.
They say not only have they not gotten parking tickets in the past, but say Detroit police have worked with them over the years to bust scammers trying to collect $20 a vehicle to park in that lot, a common scam downtown during games and events.
There are no signs posted in the lot that say no parking.
It is next to another vacant lot that used to be home to the Detroit Police Crime lab that was torn down.
7 Investigator Jim Kiertzner contacted Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's office.
The City issued a statement that this lot is owned by the city and these tickets will be canceled. However, no parking signs will be posted and fans will no longer be able to park here.
The Municipal Parking Department released this statement:
"As a rule, people should never park on a vacant lot unless it is clearly identified as a parking lot permitted by the City of Detroit. The vacant lots where these tickets were issued are owned by the city of Detroit and not permitted for public parking. However, given that this has not been well-enforced in the past and there is currently no signage prohibiting parking on those lots, we are going to cancel these tickets.
"We are going to work with DPW to have clear "no parking" signage installed on these city-owned lots. Once that signage is in place, we will resume regular municipal parking enforcement. In the meantime, individuals need to remember that parking on these lots is not permitted at any time."
