Ontario, California

Police in Ontario, California have arrested five people for allegedly staging a hit-and-run with an aim to pocket insurance money, said multiple reports in US media. The accused even filed an insurance claim after the fake hit-and-run. Investigators reportedly cracked the crime using home surveillance video.

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The fake hit-and-run was staged in 2021. The five accused were looking to pocket the insurance payout of more than USD 30,000.

The accused are : Priscilla Carmona Arajo (29), Gabriella Cervantes (52), Roberto Carlos Macias (40), Humberto Ortiz (32) and Juan Barahas.

The 'hit-and-run'

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To crack this, investigators observed the surveillance footage. It reportedly shows that one of the accused parking car in the middle of an intersection. Another accused driving another vehicle can then be seen to be crashing it into the stationary car. Both of them then flee on foot. 

When police arrived at the scene, a woman told them that she was victim of a hit-and-run incident. However, witnesses told police that woman walked over to the cars after the crash.

Based on the suspicious inputs, a task force was constituted to look into this matter. According to CBS News, this task force included investigators from different departments like California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino District Attorney's Office, Riverside District Attorney's Office and California Department of Insurance.

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When the investigation revealed that the incident was indeed staged, the suspects were arrested between January 11 and January 23 of 2024.

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"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," said a statement from the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, according to CBS News.

All five accused will face felony counts of insurance fraud. The task force that investigated the case was called Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force.

(With inputs from agencies)