California police say shocking footage of a bear tearing apart a Rolls Royce in January was actually an insurance fraud attempt using a ‘person in a bear costume.’
Surveillance video of the incident emerged in January from outside a home in Lake Arrowhead, California, appearing to show a bear rip through the luxury car.
But investigators with the California Department of Insurance (CDI) looked into the claim and felt that the footage didn’t add up, and ultimately concluded it was not the work of a wild beast at all.
Police discovered two other ‘bear attacks’ allegedly staged on other vehicles in the area, and arrested four men on suspicion of defrauding insurance companies out of almost $142,000.
California police say shocking footage of a bear tearing apart a Rolls Royce in January was actually an insurance fraud attempt using a ‘person in a bear costume’
A search warrant led to the discovery of a bear suit at the suspects’ home, complete with sharp metal claws seemingly used to leave scratch marks found inside the vehicles
The four men, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32 and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, reportedly attracted the attention of insurance detectives after a series of claims were tied to them.
Investigators dubbed the probe into the attempts ‘Operation Bear Claw’, reports Mercury News.
In the claim in January, the men alleged that a bear clambered into a Rolls Royce and damaged the interior – and submitted images of a few scratches and dents as evidence.
But when looking into footage of the attack, detectives concluded that the bear’s mannerisms and movements did not resemble the real thing.
Their suspicions were confirmed when CDI detectives got a second opinion from a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, who agreed it was ‘clearly a human in a bear suit’, the department said.
Ruben Tamrazian, 26, seen during his arrest. He and three others were arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud and conspiracy
Cops also arrested Ararat Chirkinian, 39 (left) and Alfiya Zuckerman 39 (right) in the sting, which officials dubbed ‘Operation Bear Claw’
The investigation found two nearly identical claims for different Mercedes, with each claim including footage of the ‘bear’ as evidence
The suspects submitted images showing claw marks and dents in the interior of the vehicle
Investigators enlisted a biologist to look into the claims, who also concluded it was ‘clearly’ the work of a ‘human in a bear suit’
The investigation then found two nearly identical claims for different cars – a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350 – at other insurance firms, and each included footage of the ‘bear’ as evidence.
Enlisting the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol, authorities executed a search warrant on the suspects’ home.
As seen in images released by the department, agents discovered a full bear suit inside the property, complete with sharp metal claws seemingly used to leave the scratch marks seen on the seats.
The four suspects were arrested under suspicion of insurance fraud and conspiracy.
