Towing company hands stolen car back, but not to owner

A Manitoba man says he is dumbfounded after his car was stolen, impounded by a Winnipeg towing company and given back — to someone that wasn’t him.

Cody Lamb lives in the western Manitoba community of Douglas, about 18 kilometres east of Brandon, but spends weeks away from home working on oil rigs in Alberta.

The 24-year-old says on Sept. 11, while away for work, he heard from his girlfriend who told him his car wasn’t in their driveway. Lamb reported the car stolen to Brandon RCMP the same day.

After filing the report, he heard from Steinbach RCMP on Oct. 1 that his car was recovered that day in the community of Mitchell, roughly five km west of Steinbach.

The officer also told him that his car had been impounded on Sept. 21 by a Winnipeg towing company after being ticketed, which he later learned was Tartan Towing,

However, Lamb also found out his car had been released from the company’s compound. He doesn’t know who drove off with it, but it wasn’t him.

Lamb said he believes that Tartan released the vehicle to the thief who stole it.

“I’m in Alberta. I can’t even be there to sign off on the vehicle for them to release it,” he said in a Tuesday interview. “It’s very weird that my car was given to someone that wasn’t me.”

A Tartan Towing employee confirmed to the Free Press that the company impounded the stolen vehicle on Sept 21 because of a parking ticket, and released it the same day.

The stolen vehicle was reported through the national database that’s shared across police departments and jurisdictions, according to an RCMP spokesperson and the theft is still under investigation.

Mounties said the car had two different licence plates attached when it was found Oct.1. The different plates should’ve alerted Tartan Towing that it was a suspicious vehicle, Lamb believes.

The vehicle is currently in police custody, and Lamb doesn’t know when he can get it back.

He’s worried it’s a case of Tartan Towing not fully vetting who is picking up the cars it tows, he said.

Tartan Towing had no comment when reached by the Free Press.

To pick up an impounded vehicle from Tartan Towing, people are required to show a drivers licence and photo I.D., along with additional documents “depending on the reason for impoundment,” according to the company’s website.

The website doesn’t specify what those reasons or additional documents are.

The website also said people should be prepared to give the vehicle make, model, colour, licence plate and last known location.

Mayor Scott Gillingham wasn’t made available for an interview.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works and Winnipeg’s deputy mayor, declined to comment on the incident because of ongoing lawsuits before the courts.

Tartan Towing has been embroiled in legal battles with the city for the last three years.

In 2023, the city sued Tartan Towing, alleging it had paid the company $1.1 million between 2016 and 2022 for “invalid” tows Tartan either did not perform or recorded improperly. Tartan has denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim against the city.

On Aug. 2, 2024, the city awarded Tartan a contract to tow and store vehicles for WPS until at least June 30, 2025, with up to four optional one-year extensions.

Tartan Towing launched a lawsuit against Lukes in November 2024 regarding her comments criticizing the company’s contract with the Winnipeg police. In February 2025, it also filed another civil claim against Lukes and the City of Winnipeg, in which they were accused of breach of contract.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

matthew.frank@winnipegfreepress.com