Investigators say home security footage foiled a scheme to stage a car crash to look like a hit-and-run in hopes of cashing in on a $30,000 insurance claim.
Now five residents of Southern California have been arrested and are facing felony fraud charges related to the September 2021 crash in Ontario.
The California Department of Insurance released the security footage on Wednesday.
The video shows a light-colored midsize SUV pull up to an intersection and stop directly in the middle. The driver can then be seen getting out of the vehicle and walking out of frame to safety.
Seconds later, a dark-colored midsize SUV plows into the vehicle in the intersection at a high rate of speed. The driver of that vehicle then calmly gets out and walks in the same direction as the driver of the other vehicle.
Officials say the two drivers then fled the scene.
A woman at the scene then called the Ontario Police Department and said she was the victim of a hit-and-run, but witnesses told police that the woman had actually showed up after the crash happened.