Vehicles: removal and impoundment.

Existing law makes it a crime for a person, while operating a motor vehicle with the intent to evade, to willfully flee or otherwise attempt to evade a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle or bicycle if specified conditions exist. Existing law makes it a crime to drive a vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. Existing law authorizes a magistrate to issue a warrant or order authorizing a peace officer to immediately seize and cause the removal of a vehicle if presented with a peace officer's affidavit establishing reasonable cause to believe that the vehicle was an instrumentality used in the peace officer's presence in violation of an offense described above. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to engage in a motor vehicle speed contest or a motor vehicle exhibition of speed, as specified. This bill would include this crime in the list of offenses for which a peace officer may impound a vehicle pursuant to a warrant or order issued by a magistrate. The bill would additionally allow a peace officer to submit an affidavit establishing reasonable cause that the violation occurred if they viewed or captured the violation using video surveillance that is under the sole control of a law enforcement agency.