. >> reporter: -- tisha thompson is live with the answers. >> reporter: this came from a tip who wrote us saying come to the parking lot during lunch hour. check the joggers in spiked heels or running shoes running for the trains. all you need is a handicapped sticker. who is checking? so we came out to the branch avenue metro station and checked out these metro handicapped spots and we got answers even we weren't expecting. the moon is still up. the cats are still on the prowl, but the first row of handicapped parking is already full at the branch avenue metro station in prince george's county. >> that's why i get here as early as i do. >> reporter: celestine walker has knee problems and snagged the first space in the last row at 4:46 in the morning, long before the trains had even

i'm tisha thompson with channel 5. we saw that you parked in that handicapped space.ou what your disability is. >> no, you cannot. >> we notice you are wearing high-heeled shoes and people are going to ask if you are disabled gentleman yes, i am. >> do you mind me asking what your disability is? >> no. >> reporter: do you mind me asking what your disability is? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: everyone who refused to tell us about their disability also told us they didn't care if someone abused the system. >> reporter: you don't have problems with people taking the spaces when you don't need them. >> no. >> reporter: then this guy admitted he did not have a disability. >> i don't have a disability. >> reporter: is that your placard. >> yes, it is. my spouse. >> reporter: for your spouse. okay. but you are parking in the handicapped space. is that fair? >> maybe not. >> reporter: the law says the person with the disallot built must be in the car in order to the placard to be used. so why do it? the answer might be here. we noticed all of these cars with disabled placards als

tisha thompson has their story. >> reporter: for most kids, returning around the playground is no bigut 10-year-old daniel copeland told us he knows he is lucky as he showed off what is left of his two heart surgeries. >> when they see my scar because my shirt hangs down sometimes, i say i had a problem with the arteries. they had to like make a new heart for me. >> reporter: didn't yell is one of nearly 200 kids would came to a picnic held by inova fairfax hospital for children. to get into this party, you had to have heart surgery when you were very, very little. >> well, when i was born, i had a problem and i had to go to into a hospital then. >> reporter: leah murray was born with inverted hurt muscles. his parents drove from pittsburgh so he could thank his doctors. >> thank you for fixing my heart. and i love being at the party. >> a lot of times we see them when they are sick and we don't see them later on when they grow up and are well. this is a way to celebrate in terms of how well they're doing. >> reporter: the doctors also invited a different kind of party guest to the pa

tisha thompson got excuses when she asked people why they were pulling into the spots reserved for handicappedparking. now we'll see what happens when someone who really needs the space shows up. >> reporter: it's 10:00 in the morning and lee page can't find a parking space near the entrance to the branch avenue metro station. for most drivers it's a nuisance to park so far away. for lee it's a very real problem. >> i sustained a spinal cord injury back in 1983 when i was in a car wreck. >> reporter: lee said there are two types of accessible parking: regular handicap spaces and van ache isible with extra wide aisles so drivers in wheelchairs can get out of their van. >> for a van with a side lift you need a lot of space because there have been many times where i've been able to get out and come back to my parking space and a -- a car has parked closely. i've had to ask strangers to back my car up or go inside and wait until that owner of the car comes out. >> reporter: and there is roughly one space for every row of handicapped parking but they are often the first to go. around 5:00 a.m. this

in dickerson, tisha thompson, fox 5 news. >> okay.cott shipley and his two man canoe came in first place. >>> we have a lot more for you this morning. let's check in with sarah. >> reporter: a man is found shot to death inside of a car but what is even more strange about this story is the exact same thing happened just a week ago on this same stretch of road. i'm sarah simmons. i'll have that story coming up when fox 5 morning news returns.  >>> welcome back. there is a look at traffic. that is at the beltway at connecticut avenue and can you see the roads are wet out there this morning as we have rain falling across the area. we need it. that's for sure. >> we could use the rain. we will get it. we're not going to make up our deficit but it will be pretty good healthy rain we have here because we will see some periods of heavy rainfall as well later on today. let's start with hd radar, show you where the rain is, where the heaviest rainfall is. that is off to the north and east right now moving across pasadena,

i'm tisha thompson with channel 5. may i ask you what your disability is? >> no, you can't. >> reporter: we notice you're wearing high heeled shoes. >> yes. >> reporter: so people are obviously going to ask questions is she really disabled? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: she later called us and admitted the suv is not registered in her name but still refused to say who owned the placard. do you mind me asking what your disability is? >> no. >> reporter: do you mind me asking what your disability is? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: everyone who refused to tell us about their disability also told us they didn't care if someone abused the system. you don't have problems with people taking the spaces when you don't need them? >> no. >> reporter: and then this guy admitted he did not have a disability. >> i don't have a disability. >> reporter: you don't? >> no. >> reporter: is that your placard? >> yes, it is. it's my spouse's. >> reporter: it's for your spouse, okay. but you're parking in the handicapped space. >> okay. >> reporter: is that fair? >> maybe not. >> repor

fox 5's tisha thompson has the story. >> reporter: for most kids running around the playground is nodeal, but 10-year-old daniel copeland told us he knows he's lucky as he showed off what's left of his two heart surgeries. >> so they see my scar because my shirt hangs down sometimes. i say oh, i had trunkisartriosis and they say what the heck is that and i say it's like a problem with the arteries and they had to like make a new heart for me. >> reporter: daniel is one of nearly 200 kids who came to a picnic held by inova hospital for children. to get into this party you had to have heart surgery when you were very little. >> well, when i was born, i had a problem and i had to go to like -- and i had to go into a hospital then. >> reporter: leah murray was born win verted heart vessels requiring open heart surgery -- with inverted heart vessels requiring open heart surgery, angioplasty and a stent. his parents drove in from pittsburgh so he could thank his doctors. >> thank you for fixing my heart and i love being at the party. >> a lot of times we see them when they are sick and we

just one of several excuses fox 5 investigative reporter tisha thompson got when she started asking people why they were pulling into these spots. she joins us live from suitland with more. >> reporter: we got a tip from a viewer about people abusing the handicapped parking spaces here at the branch avenue metro station, especially these van accessible spaces. so we decided to see what would happen when a guy who really needs a space this big showed up. it's 10:00 in the morning and lee page can't find a parking space near the entrance to the branch avenue metro station. >> these are all taken. >> reporter: for most drives it's a nuisance to park so far -- drivers it's a nuisance to park so far away. for lee it's a very real problem. >> i sustained a spinal cord injury back in 1983 when i was in a car wreck. >> reporter: lee says there are two types of accessible parking, regular handicapped spaces and van accessible spots with extra wide aisles on so drivers in wheelchairs can get out of their van. >> for a van with a side lift you need a lot of space because there have been many times wh

. >> this is where fox 5's tisha thompson ended up with some very special kids who know a thing or twowhat it means to have a day like. this these kids got a second chance at life. >> reporter: for most kids running around the play ground is no big deal, but 10-year-old daniel copeland told us he knows he's lucky as he showed off what's left of his two heart surgeries. >> they see my scar because my shirt hangs down sometimes, i say oh, i had trunkois i riotis and they say what the heck it s that and i say it's a problem with the -- heck is that and i say it's a problem with the arteries. >> reporter: daniel is one of 200 kids who came to a picnic held for children to. get into this party you had to have heart surgery when you were very, very little. >> when i was born, i had a problem and i had to go to a hospital then. >> reporter: leah murray was born win verted heart vessels requiring open heart surgery, angioplasty and a stent. his parents drove from pittsburgh so he could thank his doctors. >> thank you for fixing my heart. and i love being at the party. >> lots of times we see t

. >> i'm tisha thompson from channel 5. may i ask you your disability. >> no you cannot. >> we notice you are wearing high heel shows so people are going to say is she disabled? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: she called us and said the suv is not in her name but didn't tell us her disability. >> do you mind me asking what your disability is? >> i do. >> everyone who refused to tell us about their disability, told us they didn't care if someone abused the system. >> reporter: you don't have problems with people taking the spaces when you don't need them? >> no. >> reporter: and then this guy admitted he did not have a disability? >> i don't have a disability. >> reporter: you don't? >> no. >> reporter: is that your placard. >> my spouse. >> it's for your spouse. but your parking in the handicap space. is that fair? >> maybe not. >> reporter: the law says the person with the disability must be in the car in order for the placard to be used. so why do it? the answer might be here. we noticed all of these cars with disabled placard