Dramatic Video Captures Alleged Street Race In Quiet Beverly Hills Neighborhood
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A dangerous incident involving an alleged street race in Beverly Hills was caught on video, but police say they may not be able to take action.
Witnesses recorded the Saturday afternoon incident, which broke out on quiet residential streets, and involved a yellow Ferrari and white Porsche.
Residents say it was then that they were in disbelief as they witnessed the two vehicles driving at speeds they say reached 100 mph down Walden Drive, blowing through intersections, and nearly hitting cars.
"My boys were out in the street biking and it was very scary. They were passing the stop sign several times for a good 20 minutes," Roya Levian, a witness, said.
Paulette Koumett says she was in her car on a very busy Wilshire Boulevard when she saw the cars racing.
"Completely crazy, because it was, they were going, I saw them on my back mirror and I said, 'Oh my gosh, they are going so fast,' " Koumett said.
Eventually, the Ferrari was seen smoking after reportedly doing burnouts. It returned to a home in the area.
Journalist Jacob Rogers says he tried to ask a man why they were racing and endangering lives, but the man cursed at him and told him to get off the property.
When Rogers tried again another time, he says the man said, "'F-America' and he threw a cigarette at me and that was before he indicated he could kill me and get away with it."
Beverly Hills police were called to the scene, but no arrests were made.
Investigators say they're now trying to confirm whether any laws were broken and are looking into exactly who the drivers are.
Police say the men are from Qatar and may have diplomatic immunity, meaning they cannot be arrested in the U.S. because of an agreement between the two countries.
No one came to the door when CBS2 tried to get their side of the story, but Reporter Rachel Kim saw two men getting out of a sport utility vehicle in back of the house and approached them:
Rachel Kim: "Do you live in this home, sir?"
Unidentified Man: "First of all, I don't know nothing."
But as police investigate, residents say they want the racing to come to an end.
"Laws are laws. People are people. I don't care where they come from," Levian said.
Police said they took a complaint from residents and were working with the U.S. Department of State in the investigation.