Drunken street race in Los Banos takes innocent man's life, police say
LOS BANOS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police say a drunken street race took the life of an innocent man this weekend in Los Banos. Now two young drivers are expected to face serious charges.
Police arrested 20-year-old Marcus Perez-Negrete of Clovis, and the 19-year-old woman he's accused of racing.
In the video above, photos show the aftermath of a violent crash that startled neighbors early Sunday morning.
Maria Perez says it sounded like a bomb went off outside the bedroom where her daughter was sleeping. The impact also woke up Bea Cintora's relatives.
Cintora said, "My cousin and her husband are the ones who heard it, came out, and they were actually helping the driver from the victim's car."
The 64-year-old driver of red Chevy Aveo survived, but a 61-year-old man in the passenger seat died at the scene. Police say a last minute change of plans put them in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cmdr. Jason Hedden with the Los Banos Police Department said, "Early reports are they had arrived to work, and the fields were flooded where they were to be working so they were returning home."
Commander Jason Hedden says at the same time, a young man and woman were street racing down Santa Rita Avenue after a night of drinking. The Blue Saturn Astra ran through the stop sign at D Street and slammed into the victim's car before flipping over onto its roof. But the alleged driver, Marcus Perez Negrete, and his 23-year-old passenger walked away without serious injuries.
Cmdr. Hedden added, "Looking at the wreckage it's amazing we didn't have several fatalities."
Officers arrested the 20-year-old suspect on several charges, including driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. They also arrested 19-year-old Casey Giannone for DUI, reckless driving, and driving without a license. Police say sadly, it's not uncommon to see young drivers racing in the city, but it is unusual to see it on this normally quiet street.
Cintora said, "I think it's pretty scary being that nothing like this has happened here before and for such tragedy to happen right here in front of my parents home, yeah it's pretty scary."
Perez-Negrete is being held on a more than $400,000 bond, but Giannone was cited and released on misdemeanor charges. The name of the man who was killed has not yet been released.
