Lamborghini caught accelerating 152mph on California highway, CHP says driver against charges

A 50-year-old man is said to have been quoted driving a Lamborghini at 152 miles per hour – nearly three times the speed limit – will fight the ticket he received in the Santa Ynez Valley incident.

But the challenge relates to the infraction he was issued following an original misdemeanor charge The California Highway Patrol officer pulled him over on Hwy 154.

Zhan John Akopyan of La Cañada Flintridge was pulled over Nov. 20 while driving an Aventador coupe west on the highway near Meadowvale Road, less than a mile west of the roundabout at Highway 246 in Santa Ynez.

In January, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office Charged Akopyan with a violation for driving over the speed limit.

The CHP citation had listed a charge of reckless driving.

During a court hearing on February 6, an attorney representing Akopyan pleaded not guilty on behalf of his client.

Court records show the driver is being represented by Beverly Hills-based attorney Nathan Soleimani, who declined to comment.

A trial was scheduled for March 20 at 1:30 p.m Supreme Court in Santa Maria.

“It is likely that if Mr. Akopyan had proceeded as recklessly as I observed, he would have been involved in a collision due to the high speed,” officer Joel Asmussen wrote of the quote presented to the court.

“This freeway contains several patches of cross traffic and winding blind corners in mountainous terrain.”

Asmussen noted the man was approaching the four-way stop at the intersection of Baseline Avenue and Edison Street, where traffic often gets backed up on weekends.

Officials had recommended that the driver be charged with a misdemeanor rather than a misdemeanor.

District Attorney John Savrnoch, who said he could not comment on the details of the ongoing case, said certain elements needed to be in place and proven for a misdemeanor charge, rather than a violation.

“It’s not just the speed itself that makes a traffic offense a misdemeanor,” he said.

The story goes on

For example, street racing—demonstrations of speed aimed at impressing someone else—would be out of the question when someone drives a high-performance car very fast.

To prove a reckless driving charge, the incident would need to have an element of danger to others, which would involve more than speeding on a relatively empty straight section of a freeway.

The CHP determined that non-routine traffic delay and have to slow down in a social media post that received a number of comments.

“SLOW DOWN!!! 154 is the state route, NOT the speed limit,” the CHP’s Buellton office said in a Nov. 20 Facebook post. “We know how tempting it can be to open the car when the Car is fast and the weather is nice but save it for the track!”

The post noted that the speed limit for this section of Highway 154 is 55 miles per hour.

“We will continue to do what we do best, trying to make the roads as safe as possible for motorists,” said Officer Michael Griffith of the CHP’s Buellton office.

Highway 154 and the people who travel it have been the focus of ongoing safety efforts amid a series of accidents, many of which have been fatal.

Joan Hartmann, Third Ward Supervisorwho heads the Highway 154 Safety Committee, noted that data indicates that “unsafe driving is the No. 1 cause of accidents on Highway 154.”

“While they will not eradicate unsafe driving, enforcement and penalties are important deterrents to avoiding the practice,” she said.

Highway 154 does not meet state requirements for a Safety improvement double fine zone.

However, local efforts have resulted in minor improvements such as: B. new signage, marking changes and installation of lane markings.

A traffic calming roundabout was constructed at the intersection of Highway 154 and Highway 246 in 2014. Another will be built at the intersection of Highway 154, Baseline Avenue and Edison Street.

The CHP has also received regular grants to increase its enforcement and education efforts.

Savrnoch, who took office in January, said he is an advocate for local road safety, with a focus on driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, evading the police and other offences.

“It’s such a preventable and senseless crime, the traffic offence, and every time someone commits one it puts really innocent people at risk,” he said.

Noozhawk North County Editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.