Mom Says 'Ordinary' Beijing 21-Year-Old Son Made Cash from Pool, Stocks to Buy Lamborghini He Crashed

Patrick Li | Apr 14, 2015 2:00 pm | 1 comment | 6893 reads

The mother of the Lamborghini driver involved in a crash on Saturday night says that her son is "just an ordinary kid" without business or political connections who paid for the estimated RMB 4 million car himself.

The mother, Mrs. Li, told the Beijing News her 21-year-old son made money competing in pool tournaments from age 14 and invested his winnings in the stock market, which allowed him to afford the car. Lamborghinis in China cost about RMB 4.3 million RMB, or approximately USD 700,000.

She also denied that her son was in a car race and attributed the crash to "wet weather." Nevertheless, the police didn't buy her account. The investigation shows that both cars were going at at least 160kmh (100mph) in the tunnel at the time of the crash. According to the Beijing Public Security Bureau's official Weibo account, both drivers have been detained, suspected of illegal car racing. An unidentified woman was a passenger in the Lamborghini, and she was the only person reported to have been hurt. News reports say she was treated at a local hospital for unspecified minor injuries.

A car equipped with a dashboard camera traveling in the opposite direction recorded the events just before the crash, showing the green Lamborghini traveling in reverse, against traffic, with the Ferrari chasing it head to head:

The video also showed that least four other sports cars were at the scene: two Nissan GTRs, a Maserati, and one unidentified car, which appeared to have pulled over to watch the action. All of them left before the police arrived.

The tunnel near the Bird's Nest where the accident happened is one of the most popular sites for supercar racing in Beijing, due to it being covered and a long straightaway.

The mother of the Lamborghini's driver claims to be an ordinary worker for a company, and her husband a retired military officer. She denies any business or political connections that the family may have and says that her son's car was bought solely by his pool winnings, investment in stocks, and some family savings.

Reporters from the Beijing News verified part of the mother's account. By searching the name of the Lamborghini's driver, they found him being reported as a pool player a few years ago. He took fourth place in a city-level eight-ball competition in 2008, and won the championship of the Cuetec Nine-Ball Cup in 2009. Since that time, he seems to have disappeared from the media. Police records show that he is currently unemployed.

Here's some context that casts a bit of doubt on the likelihood all those winnings came from this guy being really sharp at pool and investing stocks: the 2015 China Open snooker tournament, which took place in late March and early April and enjoys massive popularity here, featured a top prize of GBP 85,000, about RMB 775,000. While it's certainly possible he won more hustling pool and then stir-frying stocks, he would have to win the China Open six times in order to buy a green Lamborghini (with the two-pronged crown).

The identity of the 20-year old jobless Ferrari's driver still remains in the dark. Evidence shows that he was using a fake license plate when the accident happened. The car was registered with a 京F**** license plate, while the photos taken on site clearly show that the license plate appeared on the car was 京N**458.

Both drivers have been detained and according to Article 133 of China's Criminal Law, reckless car racing resulting in serious violations of traffic and transportation regulations will be fined, and detained for no less than one month but no more than six months.

Photos/Video: Sina, thenational.ae