‘I’m fed up’: Coffee shop owner tows wrecked cars near business to Metro Hall

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A frustrated business owner took matters into his own hands on Sunday after five wrecked cars were towed next to his Louisville business.

Leo Fante, owner of Fante’s Coffee, towed four of those cars to Metro Hall.

“I want the mayor and the Metro Council to know that I’m fed up,” he said.

Fante’s surveillance cameras show tow trucks dropping off the cars on Etley Ave at 2:04 a.m. on Sunday.

“Literally, my customers were asking if we were opening a salvage yard here,” he remembered. “As a businessperson, I’m not gonna stand for a bunch of wrecked cars being dropped off at my business. It’s just not right to do.”

WAVE News reached out to the city to find out why the cars were taken there in the first place.

LMPD said the cars came from a crash on I-64 and were taken to a nearby street to allow owners to arrange their own private tows. They said neither Fante nor the private tow company had the authority to legally remove the vehicles.

Fante said because of it, he’s been threatened with four counts of auto theft since the parking area is public property.

“If they want to arrest me, they can arrest me and take me to jail,” Fante said.

Several people applauded his actions, and new faces have walked through the door because of it.

One customer left a note for him on Tuesday that said, “Excellent work, Leo.”

He said at the end of the day, it’s not about the applause or the potential legal consequences. Fante just wants to send a message.

“When you invest over half a million dollars in a business and you work hard every single day, at my age I don’t need to fool around with a bunch of ancillary things that the city should be handling,” Fante said. “I pay a lot of taxes. They should be handling these things.”

Fante said he has been in contact with Metro Council members and hopes the problem doesn’t continue.

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