Buckhead valet attendant gives car keys to wrong man

ATLANTA - A California man says he's stranded in Atlanta because a parking valet handed his car keys to the wrong man.

Atlanta police say the crook managed to convince a valet that he was related to the visitor.

Emanuel Hall, says it all started when he went outside the W Hotel in Buckhead to smoke a cigarette around 4 a.m. on Friday and was nice enough to provide another man with a smoke. 

"The gentleman came up to me and asked me for a cigarette, so I gave him a cigarette," Hall said. "When I went back into the hotel, I told the manager, 'The guy seemed a little funny. Don't let him in.'"

When Hall went back upstairs, Atlanta police say the man he had been smoking with took advantage of the situation and convinced the valet that he was related to Hall.

He asked for the keys to the car, and took it.

"I went downstairs to tell the [valet] to put the car back and he was like 'Your cousin took it,'" Hall said. I'm like, 'My cousin? I don't have a cousin in Atlanta. What are you talking about?' He was like, 'The guy who was smoking a cigarette.' I'm like, 'Dude!'"

Atlanta police are checking cameras in the area for leads, but so far the car has not been found.

The W Hotel says it contracts its valet service out to LAZ Parking.

A spokesperson with the parking service issued the following statement:

"Over 1.5 million people park with us every day without incident. We take this very seriously and are in the process of investigating the matter."

For now, singer Hall and his entertainment manager are stuck.