USC Student Remembered After Being Killed In Street Racing Incident On Saturday

EXPOSITION PARK (CBSLA) - Friends and locals remembered the life of USC student Arian Rahbar on Sunday.

Rahbar was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle involved in a street race at the intersection of Harvard Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard. He had just grabbed lunch and was walking across the crosswalk when the incident occurred at around 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Los Angeles Police Department detectives determined that Rahbar was struck by a Dodge Challenger that was racing an Infiniti G37.

Friends want Rahbar to be remembered for more than this. Eric Gray, a childhood friend of Rahbar's from Peoria, Illinois informed CBS that he had moved to Los Angeles to pursue a degree in computer science.

Gray recalls the memories he made with Rahbar as the two grew up together, playing on the same tennis team and going through all of the twists and turns that come with getting older, "He was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. ... He was one of those people that was just so pure -  you would think how could something like this ever happen to somebody like this."

Still shaken by the news, Gray shared the same frustration many others have shared over recent years, as the street racing scene has grown - especially in Los Angeles County, "It's devastating really. ... I'm angry that that situation was even possible to happen."

A resident who witnessed the incident shared his own worries, especially after seeing it with his own eyes, "I stopped and turned around and parked my vehicle and I was like dang, that could've been me, my children - I live right here."

LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno indicated that the issue of street racing is a growing concern in Los Angeles, especially since both vehicles appeared to belong to car clubs known for partaking in street racing.

Both drivers involved have been detained, and the vehicles taken into police custody.