22 arrested in car insurance fraud probe

Police arrested 22 people in a series of raids targeting an alleged car insurance fraud ring, authorities said.

Police served arrest warrants early Thursday for more than 42 people and by the end of the day had taken more than half of them into custody, police said in a statement.

The ring, which authorities said was operated by family members and centered around a Los Angeles body shop, is accused of fabricating auto accidents and faking physical injuries, the statement said.

The suspects included two attorneys, a disbarred attorney and a chiropractor, who falsified legal documents and medical records, police said.

Police said the claims, made to 10 different insurance companies, involved using already-wrecked cars and accident victims with phony identities.