Ferrari 'thief' arrested after being caught begging for petrol money in supercar he didn't know how to fill up

A suspected Ferrari thief was arrested after he was found begging for money to buy petrol, police said.

Israel Perez Rangel denies stealing the $300,000 car, despite allegedly not knowing how to fill the vehicle up.

Police in Santa Ana arrested the 38-year-old after spotting him begging for money to put petrol in the 458 Spider.

Officers noticed the supercar was trashed, with cracked fins, a destroyed gearbox, emblems torn from the engine and body and missing paddle shifters.


There was also vomit caked on the side, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The car was stolen two weeks earlier from the Ferrari & Maserati of Newport Beach service centre in Costa Mesa after a worker left the key on a passenger seat, authorities said.

CCTV footage showed a man dressed in a Ferrari jacket walking onto the car park and taking the vehicle.

Police were alerted to reports of a Ferrari driving erratically and stopped at a junction.
Officers also received a call about the driver asking for petrol money, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.


Rangel allegedly fled when police arrived but was later found and arrested behind bushes near a Holiday Inn, police said.
He has pleaded not guilty on November 3 to felony charges of vehicle theft with a prior felony conviction of driving or taking a vehicle, grand theft auto with a prior conviction, and vandalism, the Times reported.

He also faces a possible sentencing enhancement on allegations of theft over $200,000, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

The Ferrari owner was able to claim insurance and used the money to buy a 2018 Lamborghini Huracan, the Times reported.