Los Angeles County

Three people are accused of staging automobile accidents on local freeways — some causing major injuries — in order to collect money from insurance companies, authorities announced Monday.

“Purposefully causing automobile collisions can cause grave injuries or even death for the innocent victims of an automobile insurance scheme,” District Attorney George Gascón said.

Eduardo Retana, 25, Ausencio Gomez, 46, and Victor Valle-Diaz, 55, all of the city of Los Angeles were charged with felonies, officials stated.

Retana was charged with 11 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 10 counts of insurance fraud; Gomez with 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and nine counts of insurance fraud; and Valle-Diaz with eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon and four counts of insurance fraud.

Between January 15, 2020, and September 18, 2020, the defendants allegedly staged 15 accidents on Los Angeles County freeways with 21 victims, some of whom suffered severe injuries as a result.

As part of a purported insurance fraud ring, they allegedly defrauded insurance companies of nearly $330,000.

The case is being investigated by the California Department of Insurance.