California DMV apologizes for license plate, car owner's son says 'misunderstanding'

LOS ANGELES – The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an apology Thursday for printing a personal license plate that appeared to mock the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, although the family of the car owner disputed that.

A photo of a license plate labeled “LOLOCT7” was published by the X account StopAntisemitism which claimed the license plate, attached to a Tesla Cybertruck, was photographed at a major intersection in Culver City near Los Angeles.

The account called for the California DMV to recall the plates that say it “celebrates the terrorist attacks of October 7th” and called it a “bad joke.”

The car's owner's son told ABC affiliate KABC Friday that the account was misinterpreting the Tagalog name on the license plate.

The son, who the station did not identify, said the plate should read “LOLO-CT-7,” a reference to the Tagalog word for grandfather, the model of the car and the number of grandchildren the owner has. The son told the station that the explanation was given to the DMV when the plate application was submitted.

California DMV issues license plate apology

The California DMV said in a statement to X that it is recalling the plates and that it will review the license plate update for you.

“We are very sorry that these personalized plates were not properly rejected during the review process,” the statement read.

The car owner's son told KABC the incident was a “misunderstanding.”

“We sympathize with anyone who has experienced hatred,” the son told the station. “We would be very grateful to anyone who sees or hears this to have compassion for our family because we had no bad intentions.”

This article first appeared in USA TODAY: CA DMV apologizes for license plate, family calls 'misunderstanding'