A driver who led Los Angeles police on a more than three-hour, low-speed chase in a white Bentley before shooting himself to death on Feb. 10 is believed to be a man who once rented out luxury cars for as much as $3,500 a day, according to a blog at latimesblogs.latimes.com.

Although his identification was not yet official as of Feb. 10, family members and Los Angeles police sources said he was Mustafa “Moe” Mustafa, who grew up in Chicago, according to family members and public records.

Mustafa shot himself after police surrounded his Bentley, police sources said. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. One police source said Mustafa was distraught over the loss of his business and said the gunshot appeared to be self-inflicted.

According to public records, Mustafa had operated an exotic car rental business, with locations in Chicago and Las Vegas. Records also show that several luxury cars were registered in his name, including a 2006 BMW, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, 2007 Cadillac Escalade and a 2007 Hummer.

In a 2005 Crain’s Chicago Business profile of Chicago Exotic Car Rentals—one of the businesses Mustafa had operated—listed automobiles the company rented out, such as a 2004 Ferrari, 360 Spider, a 2005 Bentley Continental GT and a 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo. He listed his rental prices as $275 to $3,500 a day.

Mustafa told Crain’s that his clientele consisted of “celebrities like Kanye West and people interested in trying something special for a weekend, anniversary or bachelor party."

Nick Campbell, director of operations for Rent-A-Vette, a Las Vegas rental car business, knew Mustafa when he owned a competing business in the city. He said Mustafa got his start in Internet marketing before getting into the car rental business. Campbell said Mustafa tried to sell his business to Rent-A-Vette a few years ago but eventually sold it to someone else.

Once Mustafa left Las Vegas, he sometimes referred customers to Rent-A-Vette, Campbell said. The last time anyone from Rent-A-Vette came in contact with Mustafa was about six months ago when Mustafa referred a customer to them.

0 Comments