The driver who claimed diplomatic immunity after participating in a high speed street race through Beverly Hills in a bright yellow Ferrari is part of the Qatari royal family.
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Cops would not elaborate on that statement, only saying that the sheikh was “connected” to the yellow Ferrari seen on tape speeding through the tony neighborhood, blowing through stop signs and narrowly missing pedestrians on the residential streets.
The video showed the Ferrari and a Porsche speeding through narrow residential streets in Beverly Hills, prompting residents to call police.
After discussing the matter with the U.S. State Department and the Qatar consulate, authorities concluded he did not have immunity, police Chief Dominick Rivetti said at a news conference Thursday.
People who have diplomatic immunity are typically not susceptible to lawsuits or prosecution under the host country’s laws, although they can still be ejected from that nation.
“No one produced any evidence of who was at the wheel of the two cars”. At that time, Al Thani apparently told them that the cars belonged to him and denied driving recklessly.
When BHPD swung by to get to the bottom of the racing, Al-Thani said he did nothing wrong, then claimed diplomatic immunity. In their follow-up investigation once the video was online, officers couldn’t find anyone willing to identify the drivers, Lt. Lincoln Hoshino said. “The drivers weren’t visible on the videos or photographs.”, Hoshino confirmed.
“They’ve been known to come and stay in the summer with their nice cars”.
The motorists could be charged with reckless driving if they are identified.
“It was pretty quick … a spur-of-the-moment thing”, he continued.
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Al Thani, who is in his late 20s, has previously spent $10million a year sponsoring the drag racing team Al-Anabi Racing and has been driving since he was 12, the paper added.
