Surveillance video and witnesses told a very different story after one of the accused claimed they were the victim of a hit and run.
Five people in California have been arrested after allegedly staging a hit and run for the insurance payout — and it was all caught on camera.
This week, the California Department of Insurance announced 29-year-old Priscilla Carmona Arajo, 52-year-old Gabriella Cervantes, 40-year-old Roberto Carlos Macias, 32-year-old Humberto Ortiz and 25-year-old Juan Barajas were charged with one felony count of insurance fraud each in connection with the 2021 incident.
Barajas was already in police custody for an unrelated case when he was charged.
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According to CDI, the investigation into the incident began after police in Ontario, California responded to the scene of a car crash.
“A woman at the scene claimed she was the victim of a hit and run,” said the department, adding that witnesses disputed that account and said she only “walked over to the vehicles after the crash.”
Surveillance footage from a home near the crash site also told a different story, as the video showed one of the defendants pull the vehicle into the middle of an intersection before leaving it there. Another vehicle, driven by one of the other accused, can then be seen crashing into the abandoned SUV — before the driver of the second car also walks away.
Per the press release, both defendants fled the scene.
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“The investigation revealed the five defendants had staged the crash and filed an insurance claim that could have resulted in a payout of over $30,000,” said the department.
“In this case, no innocent drivers were victimized, but the Department always urges drivers who suspect they or someone they know are the victim of a staged collision to insist on a police report,” California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement.
Lara also warned that those involved in crashes should “document the post-collision damage with photographs or video” and ask a “peace officer to positively identify everyone involved.”
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