Stolen Ferrari trashed; man arrested after seeking gas money

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Southern California man suspected of stealing a $300,000 Ferrari was arrested after asking for gas money, authorities said.

Santa Ana police arrested Israel Perez Rangel on Nov. 1. He pleaded not guilty to car theft.

Authorities say the 458 Spider was brought into a Costa Mesa service centre and stolen in October after a worker left the key on a passenger seat.

Security video showed a man in a Ferrari jacket walking onto the lot and taking it.

Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said officers subsequently responded to a report of a Ferrari driving erratically and stopped at an intersection, and to another call that the driver was asking for gas money.

The exotic car was spotted at a gas station, where the driver ran off and was found and arrested behind bushes near a Holiday Inn, police said.

The Los Angeles Times says the car was trashed, with emblems torn from the body, cracked fins and a destroyed gearbox.

The Times said insurers paid the owner, who used the money to buy a 2018 Lamborghini Huracan.

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This story has been corrected to show the dateline is Santa Ana, not San Diego.