WASHINGTON, D.C. — At least once a month, Mario Damiani encounters someone parked illegally in a handicapped spot that he needs to use.

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But Wednesday night, he saw something he’d never thought he’d see: A police cruiser from the Fourth District parked in a handicapped spot at the Rock Creek shopping center. Right in front of the cruiser was a handicapped parking sign.

“I was honestly surprised that of all the cars, you had a cruiser there,” Damiani said.

Damiani, who uses a wheelchair, wasn’t able to park his handicapped-outfitted van and go into the Parkway deli to pick up a to-go order. He was waiting in the lot for 20 minutes but never saw the officer return to the police car.

“It didn't look like they were on official business,” he said. “There was no one in the vehicle. The car was off. The lights were off. It just seemed like there was just another person parked there and it did bother me.”

A police officer interviewed there should be no reason why the police cruiser was parked in the spot reserved for handicapped patrons.

Police later told ABC7 that the driver of the vehicle has been identified and the matter is being investigated.

People interviewed in the area said they were disappointed by the officer’s actions.

“They expect us to be law abiding so we should expect the same,” said one woman interviewed