TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — What started as a normal day at a Tempe auto repair shop took an unexpected turn as more than a dozen people flooded the building. “We didn’t know if it was a robbery. We didn’t know if they were going to start grabbing equipment. We had no idea what was going on. It happened quickly,” said David Hyland, the owner of Hyland Auto Repair.
Hyland claimed his shop was the target of a social media prank ahead of the holiday weekend. However, he said these people’s pursuit of social media clicks could have taken a dangerous turn. “We didn’t know if they were grabbing stuff and stealing it or just filming a prank,” Hyland said.
According to Hyland, this all started when two guys walked up to the repair shop. “They were making accusations or threats that they were sent here to take over the business,” he said.
Hyland said everyone in the shop was confused. That’s when a van full of people pulled up. “20 guys with tire irons, impact wrench, screw drivers all items used to work on car but can also be used as weapons,” he said.
In their surveillance video, you can see the people appear to be dressed as auto mechanics flood the bay, looking at cars and equipment. During this time, Hyland thought they were being robbed, so they called the police.
It wasn’t until later they learned this was a stunt for social media. “I was very concerned,” said Hyland, “This is not a public accessible area. There are lots of things you could get tripped on, slip and fall, vehicles up in the air, they physically climbed under vehicles, under the hoods.”
Hyland had to close up the shop for the day as they took inventory of all their items to make sure nothing was taken. They also had to contact all the customers whose cars were there. “All the vehicles that they did lean into or open the doors on we did call our clients have them come down and look at their vehicles to make sure nothing was damaged,” he said.
Tempe police confirm they have received several reports of a person who goes by “Heston James” on social media doing similar acts to other businesses. Arizona’s Family reached out to his pages but received no response.
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