Car crushed on judges order...

[Illiy]

Car crushed on judge's order
By Tracy Manzer, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/14/2007 09:10:01 PM PST

LONG BEACH - The souped-up car of an 18-year-old Lakewood street
racer met the end of the road Wednesday, weeks after its owner was
arrested in Long Beach for having a vehicle with an illegal engine.

Wednesday's crushing of Clifford Sung's 1995 Honda Civic hatchback -
which contained a B18 CRI engine from Japan - was the first in Long
Beach's history, said City Prosecutor Tom Reeves.

A number of deaths in and around Long Beach in the past few years
have been attributed to street racing and the city is aggressively
pursuing racers who flout the law, Reeves said.

"We have enough mayhem on our streets without illegal street
racing," he said.

Sung was arrested by Long Beach Police

Department officers on Oct. 15 after they noticed his Honda's
illegally modified exhaust system.
Once Sung was stopped, they saw other signs of illegal street
racing, including a fiberglass hood and a sway bar on the back of
the car, said Officer Brian Nystedt. A peek under the hood revealed
the vehicle identification number had been chipped off the
transmission, which is a sure sign of a stolen part, Nystedt added.

Sung was arrested on suspicion of multiple vehicle code violations,
which could have been filed as a misdemeanor or felony, depending on
a defendant's prior criminal history, said Auto Theft Detective
Johnny Miyasaki.

Miyasaki took over the investigation after Sung's arrest and worked
with the city prosecutor's office to secure a no contest plea from
Sung - who had no prior convictions - to a misdemeanor charge two
weeks ago.

In exchange for the plea, Sung was sentenced to probation and the
judge ordered the illegally modified car to be destroyed.

Despite the loss of his car - which experts estimated to be worth
$10,000 to $12,000 in purchased and stolen auto parts - Sung has
been arrested a second time.

His latest arrest for felony auto theft occurred on Nov. 8, just one

This Honda Civic that was found to have illegal modifications and
crushed by Long Beach Police in accordance with a judge's order that
the car be destroyed. The owner, 18-year-old Clifford Sung, plead no
contest to a misdemeanor offense in connection with the crime. (Jeff
Gritchen / Press-Telegram)week after he settled the street-racing
case in court, Miyasaki said.
"The attorney called and asked me if we could work out a deal,"
Miyasaki said, laughing. "I said `No, I don't think so."'

Former street racer Matt Lee - who talks about the dangers of the
illegal sport in honor of a friend who was killed in 1998 -
estimated the cost of Sung's soon-to-be squashed engine and other
car parts at about $8,000 to $10,000, while the car itself was worth
just $2,000.

The lightweight Hondas are very popular because they can accelerate
quickly on short runs. Most racers don't go much faster than 100 to
120 miles per hour, Lee explained.

"It's not about how fast you can go ... it's about how fast you can
go before the next stop light," he said, standing in a Gardena tow
yard surrounded by reporters and camera crews there to capture the
image of the car's destruction.

The pressure exerted by the "pancake" on the little blue and black
hatchback caused all the car's windows to shatter and the glass to
rain down onto the hot blacktop. The loud buzz of the hydraulic
crusher almost drowned out the metallic grunts and squeals that
emanated from the Civic's frame and engine block as they were
crumpled into a nearly unrecognizable mass.

Normally, when a car is crushed, the engine and other parts are
stripped out, Miyasaki said. Because this car was ordered by the
court to be destroyed, nothing could be salvaged, he said.

The only items Sung could have had returned to him were the flashy
rims - which he had paid for - but his attorney declined the offer,
Miyasaki said.

"When I saw him in jail last week I asked him why he didn't want his
rims," Miyasaki said. "He told me that he wanted them, but his dad
wouldn't let him."


__._,_.___

[Ducky]

waaaah. Dumbass.


I own one of the cars that's prime for modding, a 95 eclipse. Even with her normal engine, she's backend light and prone to peeling out. I've sometimes thought of what she's be like with a more powerful engine, and frankly it scares me. On the upshot, parts are readily available for her because so many of her model year have been wrapped around poles due to idiots with no clue how to handle a light car with a souped up engine. Every time I see a wreck in the news involving a 2nd Gen Eclipse, I can't help but think "Hey, I wonder where they're towing it to? Spare parts!"

[Five-0]

No offense Ducky, but a 95 eclipse is not fast.

[PeterJasonMN]

I'm glad my Civic is still showroom stock. Not even a fucking bumpersticker.

[Pudge]

Got the point across, but so would handing the car over to the cops. It'd be great to watch em cry when they saw the PO-LEESE cruisin around in their ride.

[Five-0]

Got the point across, but so would handing the car over to the cops. It'd be great to watch em cry when they saw the PO-LEESE cruisin around in their ride.

I wouldn't be caught dead in that riced out piece of shiat. Now seize me a 69 SS Camaro and we would be talking some serious patrolling.

[Pudge]

Now seize me a 69 SS Camaro and we would be talking some serious patrolling.

True that brother! True that.

It would still get a point across though.

[MacLean]

I chased one of those litle fart can equipped ricers.

I stayed with it. I have no doubt the car was faster, but the driver was trained at Sears apparently.

Glad to see a judge do something that takes balls.

[Five-0]

I chased one of those litle fart can equipped ricers.

I stayed with it. I have no doubt the car was faster, but the driver was trained at Sears apparently.

Glad to see a judge do something that takes balls.

Speaking of which,

[Cidp24]

I kind of like the dads take on the rims.

[2525]

I'm glad my Civic is still showroom stock. Not even a fucking bumpersticker.

But the stickers are what make the car go faster! The more "GT" and "Powered by <insert name here>" stickers you put on it, the more horsepower you gain.

[Star Man]

[Ducky]

No offense Ducky, but a 95 eclipse is not fast.

Trust me, I know she's not. She's not the biggest POS I've ever driven, but only because I've driven some SERIOUS POS in my time. She's pretty much stock, what makes her prone to peeling out is how damn light she is. It feels like a good gust of wind would blow her out of the yard.

I despise fart cans. I'd rather have a muscle car any day, but I can't afford the gas.

[Five-0]

I'd rather have a muscle car any day, but I can't afford the gas.

My beast gets about 24mpg and runs the quarter mile in the mid 12's. It is street legal in AL too.

[Ducky]

My beast gets about 24mpg and runs the quarter mile in the mid 12's. It is street legal in AL too.

PM me about your ride.

[Motorwaycop]

We have our own boy racers here.

They also have a penchant for civics but also use a natty little number called a Vauxhall(General Motors) Nova. See picture below.



"Yo man Give me back my ring"