Hastings conspiracy stories won't die
There's a very good reason that conspiracy theories about the death of journalist Michael Hastings aren't going to die anytime soon.
Too many things aren't adding up, and now evidence has emerged that Hastings was the target of an FBI probe - probably related to a leak.
Hastings sent an email to colleagues just hours before his death in which he said that he was under investigation by the government and that he was working on a big story.
The crash that killed journalist Michael Hastings was ruled an accident by police, but conspiracy theories continued to circulate on Friday.
Hastings, 33, was killed in a fiery solo-vehicle crash in Hancock Park early Tuesday morning.
He was best known for a 2010 Rolling Stone article that led to the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was the former U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Biggs told KTLA that he received an email from Hastings on Monday.
Biggs had known Hastings since 2008, when the journalist was embedded in his unit in Afghanistan.
"On Monday morning, I woke up and I got an email, and it's very panicked," Biggs said.
He was blind-copied on the email, which was sent to Hastings' colleagues.
In part, it said that the feds were interviewing his close friends and associates, and that he was onto a big story and needed to get off the radar.
The FBI has denied that Hastings was ever under investigation.
"It alarmed me very much," Biggs said. "I just said it doesn't seem like him. I don't know, I just had this gut feeling and it just really bothered me," he said.
The email was sent just before 1 p.m. on Monday, 15 hours before the deadly crash.
Breaking news photographer Scott Lane happened to be less than a mile from the scene of the crash, and shot video of the fiery aftermath.
Video taken from his car's dashcam also caught what appeared to be Hastings' Mercedes minutes before the crash, speeding through a red light.
More than 30 seconds pass after Hastings' car goes by, and no other cars pass through the intersection.
The fact that there was no car following Hastings right before the accident doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't running from someone. He may have already lost his pursuer or he may have been spooked by someone who appeared to be following him.
Sabotaging his car is not a credible theory, although mechanical problems may have played a role in the crash. But conspiracy theories will continue to flourish as long as there are unanswered questions about the accident.