Busted! 6 speeders blow past trooper in exotic cars

Story Updated: Apr 23, 2009 at 3:35 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff GRAND RONDE, Ore. - The drivers of six exotic sports cars were busted - all at one time - for speed racing Thursday along a two-lane highway in Oregon's Coastal Range. An Oregon State Police trooper pulled the drivers over after he spotted the cars racing at high speeds along Highway 18 near Grand Ronde.

About two hours later, one of the same vehicles was again stopped again by a trooper in the Columbia River Gorge for a high-speed violation.

Senior Trooper David Peterson began watching for the speeding vehicles at about 11:15 a.m. after receiving a dispatch from the Oregon State Police's Northern Command Center.

The center reported about 10 exotic-style cars - including Ferraris, a Lamborghini and others - passing in no-pass zones and traveling at high speed on the highway, which connects Lincoln City on the coast with the Willamette Valley.

Trooper Peterson pulled off the highway and observed five of the vehicles scream past at a high rate of speed. As he accelerated onto Highway 18, a sixth vehicle blew the past patrol car at high speed.

The trooper stopped all six vehicles and cited the drivers for speed racing. The drivers were cooperative and told the trooper there was a total of 20 similar vehicles traveling together on an annual road trip.

One of the stopped drivers was from Washington state and the other drivers were from Canada.

More than two hours later one of the same vehicles, a 2004 Lamborghini with Alberta license plate "BADBUL," was stopped about 1:45 p.m. on Interstate 84 eastbound near Multnomah Falls by Oregon State Police Sgt. Tom Worthy, for doing 90 mph in a 65-mph zone.

source: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/43582947.html

What's interesting is that I found out according to roytoy2003 in his post on Ferrarichat:

"This is not the first time, nor the last time they will speed in the USA...there is no reason not to, the tickets DO not go on their Canada driving record...and since they are just infractions in the State, there are no Warrants issued for non-payment...no need to take care of it...all that happens is a fail to pay notice and then suspension of their driving privledges in the State...BUT since they are NOT a USA citizen...they can not be arrested AND/OR criminaly cited for driving on a suspended status if and when they return to the States..

Is very very common with Canadians cited for DUI here in Washington that do not show up for court..not really a dam thing the law can do about it as written..just have to hope they pay on the "honor system"..

NOW try this in Canada as a USA guy..HELL NO..

As soon as you try to cross the boarder with an outstanding ticket are DUI..you are refused entry till it is paid...AND YES they will take credit card right there and then..IF you have a DUI conviction from the states in the last 10 years, YOU CAN not enter Canada at all...WITH a vehicle..

SO why dont we do the same..??"

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I didn't know that Canadians could not be pursued for infractions incurred in the states but we can be stopped! That hardly seems fair to me.

And then I saw this:

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Loophole Lets Foreign Drivers Skip Paying Tickets

Chris Halsne
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter

Posted: 10:32 am PST March 5, 2009
Updated: 10:34 am PST March 6, 2009

SEATTLE -- An exclusive KIRO Team 7 Investigation cracks open an international controversy -- uncovering how thousands of foreign drivers break our traffic laws with zero consequence.

DUI, reckless endangerment, speeding -- you name it -- they get away with it. We begin as Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne unravels a violent hit-and-run in Everett.

Last October, a silver sport car zips into a parking lot along Everett Mall Way and, bam, runs down a pair of 13-year-old boys riding a bike down the sidewalk. The driver flees, but quick-thinking witnesses write down a British Columbia, Canada license plate (199 EJG). Halsne had no trouble finding the suspect, so why didn't Everett police bother?

CONTACT GOV. GREGOIRE
Share your thoughts about whether Washington should sign a new agreement with B.C. that covers traffic tickets. Contact Gov. Gregoire

“I was holding my side and it hurt really bad,” accident victim Cody Christmas told Halsne. “Then he got out of his car and started cussing at me and yelling at me.”

Chrisman felt lucky to limp away from that moment with just a bent bike wheel, a badly bruised knee, and an injured back.

Witnesses to the hit-and-run accident say Cody didn't do anything wrong; an out-of-control driver was to blame.

Cindy Williams saw the entire crash unfold.

“The kids were on the sidewalk next to him. He had to pass the kids to take the right. There's no way he couldn't see them. We saw them. They were in front of us. No way he could have missed that.”

Williams also says the suspect didn’t want to stick around.

“My husband told the guy he needed to stay because we needed to call the police and make sure everyone was OK, make sure the kids were going to be taken care of and he threw his arms up and drove away. He was not interested in staying. Not interested in filing a police report. Not interested in doing his part in taking responsibility for what he did."

Not that day, nor months later. KIRO Team 7 Investigators tracked down the suspect, holed up inside a secure high-rise in New Westminster, B.C. The still-dented Mercedes Benz SKL that struck Cody sat nearby in his private parking space.

Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne was left standing outside by the security phone box.

Halsne: "Why not come down and tell us what happened?"

Suspect: "Cause I don't want to come down. I don't want to talk to you. There's not a problem with me. This has been misconstrued and I was treated like a posse was after me when it happened and I'm not going to come down. This is over as far as I'm concerned. Not a chance. Go away."

The mystery man is 67-year-old Angelo Wayne Bertoia. Everett police wrote up a report naming him as a suspect, but never even called the guy, and they closed the case with no charges, no ticket.

Detectives told Cody's mom, Dena Lovtang, it's because Bertoia is Canadian.

“I said, 'You've got to be kidding me!' He said, 'No, that's the law and it’s not worth it. There is nothing we can do because they won't cooperate.'”

The Canadian government has agreed to help U.S. law enforcement with cross-border felony criminal cases, but not with enforcing traffic infractions. That’s because Washington state and B.C. have never signed what’s called a reciprocity agreement.

As a result, an exclusive computer analysis, conducted by KIRO Team 7 Investigators, found that of the 18,122 tickets issued to B.C. residents in less than two years, at least 3,220 B.C. resident tickets also turned into warrants for "failure to pay." That means the violators repeatedly ignored requests to pay the fines.

A reciprocity agreement would force Canadians to deal with their tickets when caught in the United States breaking traffic laws or face losing the right to drive back in their home country. As it stands now, paying fines or coming to court is voluntary.

Those who witnessed Angelo Wayne Bertoia run into Cody on his bike want that to change.

Cindy Williams remains fired up about this accident months later telling us, “I understand we probably can't invade Canada and go get him and drag him out, but if comes back, he should definitely have to face the consequences of our law.”

Cody Chrisman has his own opinion of Bertoia.

"When you come down here and hit somebody, then you get scared and run back to your own country, it's kind of cowardice."

Everett police tell us they have reopened this hit-and-run investigation. That comes after KIRO-TV raised questions about the accuracy of the original on-scene investigation and why the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office was excluded from reviewing the matter.

source: http://www.kirotv.com/news/18862703/detail.html
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Are you FREAKING kidding me!!!

 

Let's invade Canada that'll solve it and simultaneously lower maple syrup costs. I don't think regular citizens of Canada should have this "immunity" . Whether an American goes to Canda or Mexico and gets caught up in something we damn sure aren't going to be able to walk.

 

Kinda embarrassing to get at speeding ticket for going 90 in a 65... in an exotic....

That's totally bull****! Our countries are neighbors, can't we respect each others lawns... and why aren't the police officers being more active in the law making/amending, if they aren't?

 

big deal 20 exotics, I guess they have nothing to do in that state.

 

I'm sensing a bit of hypocrisy here. If these had been WA drivers we would have been praising various local lawyers for managing to defeat the "evil tax collecting police".

 

Trouble makers. I-84 is MY playground



http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news...60262270724800

 

hypocrisy or jealousy?

 

Here's one of the hooligans from the stop.
Under arrest
http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...es/smLach2.gif