LOS ANGELES—A motorist allegedly responsible for fatally injuring a 24-year-old woman at a South Los Angeles street takeover on Christmas Day was arrested in New Mexico, authorities said Jan. 17.
Dante Chapple Young, 28, of Orange County, was arrested Jan. 13 on a murder warrant in Albuquerque, where he was being held on $2 million bail, pending extradition to Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Young is believed to have been the driver of the car that struck Elyzza Guajaca, a nursing student, around 9 p.m. Dec. 25 at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Florence Avenue, police department’s detective Ryan Moreno of the South Traffic Division said at a Tuesday morning news conference.
Two other motorists involved in the street takeover event were still being sought, Moreno said, and he urged them to surrender.
The investigation was conducted by a multi-agency task force of personnel from the LAPD, the FBI, and the Anaheim, Long Beach, and Albuquerque police departments, Moreno said.
Police said Guajaca was standing with a group of people on the northeast corner of the intersection when she was struck by a black Chevrolet Camaro that was doing “doughnuts” during the street takeover.
She died at a hospital. The driver of the Camaro abandoned the vehicle and ran away, police said.
Police later released cell phone and surveillance images showing possible additional victims, and touted a $50,000 reward for information leading to the driver, while also asking anyone else who may have been injured to come forward.
Detectives identified at least six or seven additional victims who appeared to have been injured by the vehicle, thanks to videos from the scene. Some of them appeared to have been critically injured, authorities said.
Moreno told reporters in December that the department was doing what it can to crack down on street takeovers, and would like to see people face harsher penalties.
“... some other cities ... they crush the cars,” Moreno said. “Right now [we] take them for 30 days. And it is affecting it somewhat, but there’s a lot going on.”
He added that nearly 200 people were involved in this street takeover.
Guajaca’s brother Louie said her sister was a loving aunt to his beautiful girls.
“She was a beautiful sister who loved big,” he said. “She was a daughter who always wanted to be with [family] around and have family time. She was the rock to our family. She was just a good, goofy, funny, outgoing person. She loved all her close friends and family.”
Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson said he witnessed part of the deadly street takeover and called on Mayor Karen Bass and the city council to declare a state of emergency on such takeovers, similar to the declaration recently issued by the mayor on homelessness.
“Street takeovers present—as witnessed by the death at Florence and Crenshaw and numerous injuries to life and damage to property at other takeover sites in the city—a grave problem for city officials,” Hutchinson said in a statement.
“It has sparked community outrage and demand for stepped-up action. A state of emergency will further empower law enforcement and citizens to concentrate time, energy, and resources on this deadly problem.”
Anyone with any information on the crash was urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Tipsters may also visit www.lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip.
