Inquiry of auto crash takes twists and turns
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Rare Ferrari involved in mysterious accident

By Richard Winton and David Pierson, Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times

March 17, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's investigation into a
mysterious crash that destroyed a rare $1 million Ferrari in Malibu last month is
focusing on a videotape that was allegedly shot from inside the vehicle at the
time of the accident, according to sources close to the case.

The sources said the Ferrari's owner, Stefan Eriksson, and the other man in the
car, identified by authorities as Trevor Karney, had a video camera rolling as they
raced on Pacific Coast Highway on Feb. 21 at speeds in excess of 162 m.p.h.

Deputies who arrived at the scene did not recover any video equipment. But sources
said detectives were later told the high-speed driving was taped. The sources
spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation.

The revelation is the latest twist in a crash that has prompted an accident
inquiry and a probe by the department's Homeland Security Division.

While no one was injured in the crash, the investigation has generated significant
attention because of the strange circumstances and the fact that it destroyed one
of only 400 Enzo Ferraris ever made.

Eriksson, a former European video game executive, told deputies at the scene that
he was not the driver and that another man, named Dietrich, was behind the wheel.
Eriksson said Dietrich fled the scene.

But detectives have been skeptical of his version of events. Investigators have
taken a swab of Eriksson's saliva to match his DNA against blood found on the
driver's side air bag of the Ferrari.

Eriksson also told deputies that he was a deputy commissioner of the police
department of a tiny transit agency in the San Gabriel Valley.

A few minutes after the crash, two men arrived, identified themselves as Homeland
Security officers and spoke to Eriksson at length before leaving.

Sheriff's Sgt. Phil Brooks said Wednesday that a few weeks before the accident,
Eriksson was pulled over in West Hollywood without a driver's license.

At that time, Eriksson told officers he was a deputy police commissioner of the
anti-terrorism unit of the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority and showed a badge,
Brooks said.

According to Noel Hogan, a British private investigator, formerly with Scotland
Yard, Eriksson had told him he was a police officer. Hogan had been trying to
recover a Mercedes SLR worth more than $450,000 that had been reported stolen in England
and which Eriksson had in his possession.

Officials at the transit agency, which provides transportation for the disabled
and elderly from Monrovia, said Eriksson was given the title of deputy police
commissioner after undergoing a background check and offering the agency free video
security cameras for its five buses.

Eriksson left video game machine manufacturer Gizmondo last fall after a Swedish
newspaper printed allegations of his criminal past.

Brooks said Swedish police have told sheriff's investigators that Eriksson served
5 years in prison in the early 1990s for a counterfeiting-related crime.

Gizmondo, which hoped to compete with Sony and Nintendo, filed for bankruptcy
earlier this year after running up more than $200 million in debts.

Brooks said investigators were aware that a Scottish bank has claimed it owns the
Ferrari.

Eriksson could face several charges if deputies determine he was driving,
including driving while intoxicated and lying to investigators. His blood-alcohol level
was found to be 0.09 percent, above the 0.08 percent legal limit in California.