HAYLEY LERCH
News Assistant
The buzz surrounding the crash of a rare Ferrari Enzo on Pacific Coast Highway on Feb. 21 continues to grow as investigators uncover details about owner Stefan Eriksson’s past. DNA testing is under way to see if Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators can place Eriksson, the Ferrari’s owner, whose blood alcohol level was above the legal limit, behind the wheel of the $1 million vehicle.
Tests will reveal whether the blood found on the driver’s side of the vehicle belongs to Ericksson. According to Sergeant Philip Brooks, of the Lost Hills station, DNA confirmation will bolster the case, which Brooks said has already generated hundreds of leads.
The rare Ferrari Enzo, which is one of only 400, smashed into a power pole along PCH at 162 mph, splitting the car in half at 6 a.m. No one was injured.
The several facts about the crash, however, have been unclear from the beginning.
The details of Ericksson’s business practices combined with his alleged involvement with the Swedish mafia have generated national media interest in the case.
“You got the million dollar car for one, people survived the crash, and finally all of the background information on this Erickson character and his ties to the Swedish mafia which have created international intrigue” Brooks said. “It’s sort of James Bondish.”
Students at Pepperdine have been intrigued by the story. “It’s interesting because it’s such a nice car and the guy left it,” freshman Blake Coble said. “It was also shocking how he was able to survive.”
Ericksson, former executive of the video game machine company Gizmondo, claimed a man named Dietrich was driving the Ferrari.
“It’s common at a DUI crash for a driver not to take credit for driving. He was under the influence, that’s not uncommon,” Brooks said. “The problem is that the deputies got there and bought their story. Dietrich never existed”
Authorities have confirmed that a man named Trevor was also in the Ferrari Enzo. According to Brooks, Trevor, Ericksson’s associate, claimed to be riding in a Mercedes that was racing Ericksson’s Ferrari, but investigators eventually discounted the notion that a Mercedes was involved.
Another detail that has proved intriguing is that a passing motorist uncovered a gun clip shoved into the seat of his car shortly after stopping to aid the men.
According to Brooks, Ericksson has a criminal record that includes serving five years in prison. A Swedish newspaper reportedly ran allegations that Ericksson was once convicted of counterfeiting.
The British company Gizmondo, where Ericksson worked, is bankrupt and according to Brooks, Ericksson is now conducting business in the United States.
“He has a history of forming companies that garnish a bunch of investors and all of a sudden go belly up,” Brooks said.
Ericksson reportedly showed deputies a badge identifying himself as the deputy police commissioner of the San Gabriel Transit Authority’s anti-terrorism division shortly after the crash. Two other men claiming to be with Homeland Security arrived at the scene and transported Ericksson away.
The San Gabriel Transit Authority is a small, private organization that provides busing surfaces for the disabled. Ericksson reportedly received his title after installing video surveillance equipment in the transit authority’s vehicles. Though some authorities are concerned about Ericksson’s affiliation with this organization, Brooks said this does not affect the case.
Once test results are received, deputies can proceed with the case. Authorities did not arrest Ericksson at the scene because, according to Brooks, they wanted to gather more information before taking action.
“We now have hundreds of leads on a simple crash,” Brooks said. “So now we can take our sweet time and file it when we’re all done. You get a better case that way.”
According to Brooks, Ericksson is currently on a boat somewhere in Mexico, but the sergeant said he isn’t too concerned with the suspect’s whereabouts, since he has been in Sweden and the United Kingdom previously.
03-16-2006
