Rhino
05-15-2006, 03:10 PM
Twisted Tale of a $1.5-Million Ferrari Smashup
Monday, May 15, 2006
LOS ANGELES — It's the smash up that car lovers can't seem to get enough of — an exquisite red Ferrari rare by even its own lofty standards shredded by a 162 mph crash on Southern California's scenic Pacific Coast Highway.
First came a simple question: How could anyone plow their car into a utility pole at that speed and survive with no more than just a cut lip, as Swedish businessman and ex-con Bo Stefan Eriksson did?
From there, the case has developed more turns than the winding route authorities say Eriksson couldn't navigate early the morning of Feb. 21. There's international intrigue, an odd homeland security twist and even Swedish mobsters.
First there was the mysterious German guy named Dietrich. Eriksson told authorities he was Dietrich's passenger — that he let Dietrich take the $1.5 million Ferrari Enzo out for a pre-dawn spin past the seaside mansions of Malibu, even though he didn't know Dietrich's last name or where to find him after he wrecked the thing.
Then there were the two "homeland security" guys who showed up soon after the crash, demanding to talk to Eriksson as local police were still interviewing him. It turned out they provided homeland security for a small bus company in suburban Arcadia, 60 miles away.
That was far from the end.
On Tuesday, authorities raided the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority's headquarters, took one man into custody and seized guns, badges and police jackets. They still haven't figured out exactly why the company, with a fleet of five buses, had a homeland security detail.
What authorities have uncovered, however, are Eriksson's connections to a bankrupt European video game company he once helped run, his convictions for assault and other crimes in Sweden and his possession of a .357-caliber handgun registered to a reserve sheriff's deputy from nearby Orange County...........http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195412,00.html
Monday, May 15, 2006
LOS ANGELES — It's the smash up that car lovers can't seem to get enough of — an exquisite red Ferrari rare by even its own lofty standards shredded by a 162 mph crash on Southern California's scenic Pacific Coast Highway.
First came a simple question: How could anyone plow their car into a utility pole at that speed and survive with no more than just a cut lip, as Swedish businessman and ex-con Bo Stefan Eriksson did?
From there, the case has developed more turns than the winding route authorities say Eriksson couldn't navigate early the morning of Feb. 21. There's international intrigue, an odd homeland security twist and even Swedish mobsters.
First there was the mysterious German guy named Dietrich. Eriksson told authorities he was Dietrich's passenger — that he let Dietrich take the $1.5 million Ferrari Enzo out for a pre-dawn spin past the seaside mansions of Malibu, even though he didn't know Dietrich's last name or where to find him after he wrecked the thing.
Then there were the two "homeland security" guys who showed up soon after the crash, demanding to talk to Eriksson as local police were still interviewing him. It turned out they provided homeland security for a small bus company in suburban Arcadia, 60 miles away.
That was far from the end.
On Tuesday, authorities raided the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority's headquarters, took one man into custody and seized guns, badges and police jackets. They still haven't figured out exactly why the company, with a fleet of five buses, had a homeland security detail.
What authorities have uncovered, however, are Eriksson's connections to a bankrupt European video game company he once helped run, his convictions for assault and other crimes in Sweden and his possession of a .357-caliber handgun registered to a reserve sheriff's deputy from nearby Orange County...........http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195412,00.html