MALIBU, Calif. , March 16, 2006

$1M Car Crash Caught On Tape?

A Video Twist In Mysterious Crack-Up Of Rare Ferrari

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(CBS/AP)  The plot can't get any thicker.

Authorities trying to unravel the mysterious crash of an exotic $1 million Ferrari are now attempting to determine if the accident was videotaped, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The sports car was traveling at an estimated 162 mph when it hit a power pole along Pacific Coast Highway last month and virtually disintegrated.

Ever since then, police have been scratching their heads over who drove the car, who owns it and the appearance at the scene of the crash of two mystery men who falsely claimed to be from "Homeland Security."

And then there's the little matter of a loaded gun clip found at the crash scene, a $14 million yacht listed as a home address and a storefront transit agency with its own police department.

Now, the Times reports, police have been told that the two men in the car had a video camera rolling as they sped along the highway. Needless to say, no video equipment was found at the scene of the crash, and no tape has been recovered.

"It's like a James Bond story," said Sgt. Philip Brooks of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. "But I just want to find out who was driving the Ferrari."

Stefan Eriksson, who apparently owned the red Ferrari Enzo — one of only 400 made — escaped the Feb. 21 crash with only a cut lip.

Authorities said Eriksson told them he was a passenger in the car and that the driver, a German acquaintance he only knew as "Dietrich," ran into the nearby hills. Deputies launched a three-hour foot and helicopter search but failed to turn up Dietrich.

Eriksson also said the Ferrari was in a race with a Mercedes SLR, whose driver took off after leaving behind its passenger.

Cops later identified the second man in the Ferrari as Trevor Karney and determined that there was no race and no Mercedes.

Only the driver's side air bag had blood on it, and Eriksson suffered a cut lip, Brooks noted. "We want to see if his blood matches the blood in the Ferrari," Brooks said.

Continued



©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report
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