Man accused of illegally clearing street racers’ fix-it tickets in Orange and Los Angeles counties arrested

A two-year-long investigation led to the arrest of a man accused of selling fraudulent documents as well as 27 alleged street racers from Orange and Los Angeles counties who tried to keep illegal modifications on their cars, California Highway Patrol officials said Wednesday.

Angel Zahid Sanchez-Peralta, 21, of Los Angeles, was arrested in August and then charged in October with 33 counts of attempting to file a false or forged instrument and one count of attempting to procure or offer a false or forged instrument, according to court records. He is suspected of obtaining stamps with the names of current and retired CHP officers and using those to sign off on over 250 fix-it tickets for street racers.

The citations were fraudulently cleared between October 2020 and January of this year. They included tickets for loud exhausts, deleted catalytic converters or mufflers, tinted windows and license plate violations, CHP officer Anselmo Templado said.

Those cited were supposed to undo illegal modifications to their vehicles and have them inspected at law enforcement facilities before they could get back on the road. The 27 people arrested in addition to Sanchez-Peralta were accused of submitting phony documents purchased from him instead of bringing their cars into compliance with noise and emissions regulations, CHP officials said.

Sanchez-Peralta allegedly charged $300 per citation, CHP officials said. His clients in Orange County included 19 people from Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Orange and Lake Forest. The remaining eight were residents of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Compton, Whittier, Commerce, Hawaiian Gardens, Palmdale and Ontario.

He advertised his illicit services on social media and at underground meet-ups, CHP officials said. He was also described as a promoter of illegal gatherings of street racers. Police became aware of Sanchez-Peralta’s alleged activities while investigating unsanctioned racing events.

Sanchez-Peralta pleaded not guilty Nov. 16 and is next due in court for a pretrial hearing Dec. 21 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

Sanchez-Peralta was also previously charged with driving without a valid driver’s license and reckless driving, both misdemeanors, for an unrelated incident on Nov. 16, 2020, according to court records.

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