Three UC Irvine international students from China led California Highway Patrol on a wild ride around LA on Thursday night during a pursuit that, according to CHP, reached 122 mph and lasted about 45 minutes.

Yuan Zhou, an 18-year-old Irvine resident and Chinese national, was arrested at approximately 9:15 p.m. after a CHP cruiser nudged Zhou's white BMW 7 series sedan. The student had gotten his California license only two months prior.

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The pursuit began around 8:30 p.m. and once reached 122 mph. A patrol vehicle ultimately stopped Zhou's BMW on Pacific Coast Highway by car crash.

Zhou told reporter in Chinese when he was sitting in the patrol that the BMW is a brand new car that he just bought. He also said that he was very afraid of police and was unaware he was being pursued by police.

Police indicated that at least Zhou was not a horrible driver. Because Zhou observed traffic lights and laws during most of the "high speed" chase in highway, he might not be charged as many offences as he would.

There were two passengers, Wang Shuang Zhou and Lu Chen, international students from China as well. They were taken to a gas station near LAX to catch transportation back to their residence according to authorities.

All three students are enrolled at UC Irvine. Zhou, the driver, is enrolled in a program at UC Irvine Extension that prepares international students to enroll in a full undergraduate degree program, according to UC Irvine Spokesperson Laura Rico. The program includes ESL language classes, test prep, cultural education, and personal counseling.

Zhou was released on $75,000 bail at 5:35 a.m. on 21th and has a court date preliminarily set on March 21. The other two passengers were also released after being questioned.