DOZEN ARRESTED IN CAR INSURANCE SCAM.

Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Investigators arrested more than a dozen Los Angeles residents believed to be involved in a ``swoop and squat'' fraud ring that has cost auto insurers $1.5 million over the past year, authorities said Monday.

The group is responsible for at least 75 staged crashes on Los Angeles-area freeways, said Norman Williams, a spokesman for the California Department of Insurance.

The scam targets vehicles that appear to be well-insured, Williams said. A ``squat'' car pulls in front of the target vehicle and the ``swoop'' car swerves or stops in front of it, causing the victim to rear-end the squat car.

``The victim doesn't even know what happened unless the swoopers and squatters get caught,'' Williams said.

Drivers and passengers of the rear-ended car file fraudulent insurance claims with the help of attorneys and chiropractors who are complicit in the scam, Williams said.

Investigators have executed search warrants at five law offices, two medical clinics and three homes since they began the probe in March, Williams said.

Andrea Cavanaugh, [phone]

andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com