Street racing is one of the dumbest things you can do in a car. It can quickly and easily turn deadly, as it did recently when a street race in Burbank left three people dead according to reports from local news outlets.
Around midnight, a late model VW Jetta was struck by two other vehicles that investigators believe were racing: a Kia and a Mercedes. The cars slammed into the Jetta as it was attempting to make a left turn producing an impact so powerful that it split the Jetta in two and ejected three passengers.
“In my 19-year-career, I haven’t seen anything like this, personally,” said Burbank Police Department Sgt. Emil Brimway. “Not to this magnitude and this level of debris over a two-city block span.”
After the crash, the Kia continued down the street until it came to a stop after hitting parked cars not far from the crash. One of the passengers of the Jetta was found in the bushes of a nearby home. The others lay near the vehicle. The driver of the Kia was hospitalized in serious condition while the passengers of the Mercedes were uninjured. Authorities say the Kia and the Mercedes had been racing for blocks prior to the collision
A vigil was held last night for the victims of the crash. And while police are still investigating, no arrests have been made.
Hundreds of people showed up at the intersection of Andover Drive and Glenoaks Boulevard to honor Cerain Baker, 21, of Pasadena; Jaiden Johnson, 20, of Burbank; and Natalee Moghaddam, 19, of Calabasas.
Again, racing on public streets is never a good idea regardless of who you are or what you’re driving. There are plenty of places to enjoy driving fast in a controlled environment where you’re not putting other people at risk.