Compton Mother Killed In 2019 Street Takeover Remembered By Community In Push To End Illegal Street Racing
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Family, friends, community leaders and law enforcement came together on Friday to remember the life of a woman who was killed during a street takeover crash in South Los Angeles in 2019.
An SUV leaving the scene of the takeover slammed into a pop-up Halloween store, killing Bethany Holguin, and injuring seven others on May 11, 2019.
"She had the biggest heart and she was really the strength of our family. She kept us all going, she kept us all together," said Holguin's aunt Lori Argumedo. "They were driving about 80 to 100 mph, ran the stop sign and hit my niece, pretty much crushing every bone in Bethany's body."
Argumedo says the 23-year-old mother was in the car with her younger brother, who was left in critical condition.
Determined to identify the racers who took off, Argumedo went door-to-door in that neighborhood and found a video of the crash.
There were two drivers allegedly involved in the street takeover crash that killed Holguin, and Argumedo tells CBSLA only one of those drivers was found and is now behind bars.
Holguin's story is one a growing number of innocent bystanders killed here in the Southland.
"We have somehow accepted the carnage on our roads as collateral damage for our convenience. It doesn't have to be that way and it shouldn't be that way," said Assemblymember Laura Friedman of Glendale.
Lawmakers, law enforcement, AAA, and Holguin's loved ones on Friday reminded everyone about the deadly consequences of street racing, sideshows and street takeovers, especially ahead of Halloween.
"We don't want our kids to end up dead because someone is looking for a cheap thrill, looking for an opportunity to show how cool or brave they might be," said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel of Woodland Hills.
Police shared that they want the community to reach out to authorities when they hear word of street takeovers or witness the dangerous gatherings.
"We call on the public to give us information, to give us suspect descriptions, to call that in as they're gathering so we can go from a prevention standpoint. We'd rather prevent this than apprehend after the fact," said LAPD Capt. Brian Wendling.
The LAPD says they've seen three times the amount of street racing-related incidents than they did last year.
"This crash was 100% preventable. It's really hard to watch, something like this shouldn't have happened to Bethany. She should be here with us," said Argumedo.
