Four people have been arrested for using a bear costume to simulate attacks on several high-end cars in the Californian town of Lake Arrowhead on June 28. The purpose was none other than to collect insurance for the damage caused to the interior of the three cars: a Rolls Royce from 2010 and two Mercedes Benz, from 2015 and 2022. The owners of the vehicles claimed a total of $141,839 from their insurers. .
It was the California Department of Insurance that discovered that the attacks had not been caused by a real bear, but by “a person in disguise,” according to a statement to which EFE has had access. A conclusion that was reached thanks to the help of a “biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife,” who reviewed the security camera videos.
The video, with very poor quality black and white images, which can also be seen at the beginning of this news, shows a furry creature moving inside the vehicles. Then, there are other clearer images of the damage caused to the leather upholstery and the frame or dashboard of the cars.
Another piece of evidence provided by the same department was a photograph of a life-size bear costume with sharp claws, which was allegedly used by the detainees, who have been accused of insurance fraud and conspiracy to defraud. To make the claws they used a kitchen utensil used to tear meat. That is why the Insurance Department detectives who investigated the case named the operation “Bear Claw.”
