Driver caught in Beverly Hills supercar street race claims diplomatic immunity

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Luxury supercars were filmed racing around the residential neighborhood
Witnesses said vehicles ran stop signs and narrowly missed other cars
The race only ended when the yellow Ferrari's engine began smoking
Driver told police arriving shortly afterwards he had diplomatic immunity
When confronted by a video journalist he allegedly said 'F*** America'
He then warned 'he could have him killed' and 'flicked a cigarette at him'

Published: 10:10 EST, 15 September 2015 | Updated: 02:15 EST, 16 September 2015

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A Qatari driver involved in a high speed street race between a Ferrari and a Porsche in Beverly Hills has claimed diplomatic immunity.

The two luxury supercars, which had Qatari plates, were filmed speeding around the residential neighborhood on Saturday evening.

Witnesses claimed the vehicles ran through stop signs and narrowly missed other cars on a number of occasions.

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The two luxury supercars were filmed speeding up and down the residential streets on Saturday evening

Others claimed the white Porsche 911 GT3, estimated to be worth $130,400, and bright yellow Ferrari LaFerrari, a hybrid supercar with 950 horsepower, were speeding at more than 100mph and said one of the cars even sideswiped the other.

The race only appeared to end when the engine of the Ferrari, which had a Qatar license plate, began smoking and pulled into the drive of the luxury $10 million, five-bedroom rented home.

A new LaFerrari is worth an estimated $1.4 million but California-based vehicle valuation firm Kelly Blue Brook told NBC4 it could fetch up to $5 million.

Police officers arrived shortly after to investigate reports of racing but were told by the driver that he had diplomatic immunity.

While he agreed he owned the supercars, he denied speeding, running stop signs and driving recklessly.

The bright yellow Ferrari and a white Porsche raced around the Beverly Hills neighborhood

Witnesses claimed that the luxury, high-end vehicles ran through stop signs and intersections

Locals also claimed that the Porsche and Ferarri narrowly missed other cars on a number of occasions

'The car was still smoking when the cops came,' neighbor Roya Levian told KTLA.

'The kids were terrified and the neighbors were out and this woman was screaming 'cause her husband almost got run over.'

WHY DIPLOMATS HAVE IMMUNITY

Diplomatic immunity has existed for more than 50 years and is agreed on by almost every country in the world, even those with frosty international relations such as North Korea.

It was signed into law under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to ensure diplomats can represent their nation without being harassed by their hosts.

This is particularly essential in countries which criminalise behaviour which would be perfectly acceptable at home, and those which prosecute people for political reasons.

Diplomatic immunity is often also extended to members of royalty.

There have been occasional abuses of the system - including the fact that diplomats do not have to pay parking fines. But it is extremely rare for immunity to be waived, and it can only happen with the agreement of the diplomat's home country. Some nations refuse on principle, while most reserve the measure only for serious crimes.

Last year, a Venezuelan general wanted in the United States on drugs charges and arrested in Aruba was released after the Venezuelan government protested his diplomatic immunity and threatened sanctions if Aruba did not release him.

Her 10-year-old son Ashton, who was playing down the street and when the cars raced by him, said he was 'scared to go home' in case he was hit by the vehicles.

Several local residents also complained that the sports car driver had often used their streets as a racetrack - leaving them fearing for their safety.

Neighbors said the drivers were from Qatar and since they moved into area a few months ago, they had seen several sports cars on their driveways.

The people currently living at the 8,895 sqft home in Beverly Hills, which rents for $45,000 a month, where the cars pulled up on Saturday, declined to speak to reporters yesterday.

Video journalist Jacob Rogers said that a man - thought to be the driver - confronted him when he captured the incident on video.

'He told me verbatim, 'I could have you killed and get away with it,' Rogers said.

'I told him, 'the press is allowed to be here on the sidewalk on a public street.' He said, 'F*** America' and threw a cigarette at me.'

Footage of the race, which began on North Walden Drive, has now been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on You Tube.

The Beverly Hills Police Department said that the United States State Department is involved now in the investigation into his alleged diplomatic status and the legality of the vehicles driven on the road.

The department told Dailymail.com they were looking into the 'unsafe and reckless driving of high performance exotic vehicles' but said that as officers did not observe the violations personally, they could not make a citation or arrest at the time.

Lieutenant Lincoln Hoshino, Executive Officer, said: 'As officers were conducting their investigation, they were approached by an individual who indicated that the vehicles belonged to him and denied driving at a high rate of speed, running stop signs or driving recklessly. That individual claimed to have diplomatic immunity.

'The BHPD has zero tolerance for this type of driving which recklessly endangers the public at large.'