Beijing's ‘Fast and Furious’ crash drivers are 'unemployed', police say
Authorities detain two drivers over suspected road race involving multimillion-dollar vehicles, saying the young men are unemployed
Police have detained the drivers of a Lamborghini and a Ferrari that crashed in a Beijing tunnel during a suspected road race on Saturday night and said they were unemployed.
The cars were travelling at over 160km/h, nearly three times the speed limit, when they spun out of control and the Lamborghini slammed into the side of the Datun Road Tunnel in Chaoyang district at around 10pm, according to the capital's traffic police. It was raining heavily at the time.
The two suspects were identified as a 20-year-old man surnamed Yu from Changchun in the northeastern province of Jilin, who was driving the Ferrari, while a man surnamed Tang, aged 21, from Beijing, was in the Lamborghini, police said, adding that both were jobless. One person in the Lamborghini was slightly injured.
The crash has drawn attention online, with some questioning how the suspects were able to get access to the luxury vehicles. It also came hours before a midnight screening of the latest instalment of the blockbuster Fast and Furious franchise in Beijing.
“Socialism is so good that it allows unemployed people to drive supercars,” one posting said on Weibo. “What are their names? Who are their fathers?” another posting asked.
The area is notorious for road-racing, and witnesses said the two cars were jostling for the lead when the crash occurred. They bumped sides as the Lamborghini tried to pull ahead, which sent it careening into the side of the tunnel. It ran over a low-sitting guard rail and tore down chunks of white panel.
The front of the Lamborghini was ripped off while the Ferrari was damaged on its side and rear. Pieces of the vehicles were strewn across the tunnel.
The speed limit in the area is 60km/h. No tyre marks were found to indicate the drivers had tried to brake.
Witnesses said the two drivers belonged to the same car club. A manager of a company that rents luxury sports cars in Shanghai said it was difficult to judge whether the men owned the cars or were renting them. There was no way to know if a potential client wanted to lease a vehicle for normal use or for road racing.
Locals have long complained to the police about drivers gathering to hold races at night but the authorities say it's difficult to catch them.
Watch: Aftermath of the road race crash
During weekends more than 10 motorcycles and several sports cars have been found racing back and forth through the tunnel. Some vehicles didn't have licence plates, while others covered them with paper, local media said.
Lamborghinis sell for between 4 million yuan (HK$5 million) and 8 million yuan in the capital; Ferraris cost between 3 million yuan and 6 million yuan. Mainland media reported the Lamborghini belonged to the Aventador series, while the Ferrari was a 458 Italia.
The scene brought back memories of a crash in the capital three years ago that killed Ling Gu, the only son of once-rising political star Ling Jihua. Ling Gu was killed when he lost control of his black Ferrari 458 Spider Ferrari on the North Fourth Ring Road. One woman later died from her injuries.
Ling Jihua, previously an aide to former president Hu Jintao, was sidelined from politics over an attempted cover-up of the crash, and was later charged with corruption and abuse of power.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
