No way ‘Back to the Future’ for vintage DeLorean smashed in carjacking pursuit
Sadly, a 1981 DeLorean sports car that was carjacked and then crashed during a police pursuit near Santa Monica beach on Thursday won’t be rolling “Back to the Future” anytime soon.
The car’s owner, Jean Marc Lageyre, said the DeLorean DMC-12 was destroyed when it crashed it into another car, badly damaging the front and right side and pretty much ending its glorious 35-year run.
“I have never been a car person but I fell in love with this car, and funny enough my wife has been writing a musical where the car was going to be the center of attention. It actually has a starring role,” he said.
Lageyre said he is quite upset.
His father-in-law was one of the first people to buy the distinctive gullwing coupe in 1981. He tooled around town in it until he died in 1995 — some 10 years after the “Back to the Future” film franchise revived popular interest in the vehicle.
Lageyre’s mother-in-law turned the car over to him and his wife a few years ago. With just about 18,000 miles on the odometer, the car was in mint condition.
“We have brought life back into it and I have been proudly driving it around,” he said.
And that’s exactly what Lageyre was doing at 7:15 a.m. Thursday when the DeLorean was stolen.
Lageyre said he partially exited the DeLorean to pay for parking in the 2600 block of Ocean Front Walk because the car’s windows don’t open.
Suddenly, a man police identified as Brian Scott Cottrill, 32, of Oregon, jumped inside the car and hit the gas pedal. Lageyre said half of his body was hanging out of the car as it drove away.
Soon after, police received a call about the stolen DeLorean.
It didn’t take long for officers to spot the vehicle.
“They are very unique,” Santa Monica Police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said. “That kind of stands out quite a bit.”
Officers followed the DeLorean for about half a mile at low speeds — nowhere near the vehicle’s top speed, police said.
The pursuit finally ended when the DeLorean crashed into a car in the 1500 block of Ocean Avenue. Officers boxed in the DeLorean and took Cottrill into custody, police said.
He suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital. Cottrill was booked on suspicion of carjacking, reckless evading and an outstanding traffic warrant.
“You don’t see that often,” police Sgt. Erika Aklufi said.
As for Lageyre, he’s been taking the plethora of “Back to the Future” jokes from friends and family on Facebook with stride.
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UPDATES:
Sept. 16, 10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the owner of the DeLorean.
This article was originally published on Sept. 15 at 4:45 p.m.
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