Police in Los Angeles are looking for a culprit after a nursing student was murdered in a hit-and-run on Christmas Day by a car who was doing wheelies during an unauthorised “street takeover.”
On Christmas Day, at 9 p.m., over 100 people gathered to watch Los Angeles drivers display their automobiles at a sizable illegal gathering in the Hyde Park area.
But when one motorist lost control of his vehicle, chaos ensued.
The Los Angeles Police Department reported that on the northwest corner of Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, “a vehicle engaging in exhibition of speed at an unlawful street takeover lost control, raced off the roadway, and slammed into a group of spectators.”
The 24-year-old victim who slammed into the crowd during the street takeover was identified as Elyzza Guajaca. She was pinned against a light pole by the black Chevrolet Camaro, which caused serious injuries to her.
Guajaca was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors determined that her injuries had caused her death.
Witnesses recorded the severe collision, which injured numerous other persons, on camera. At least two bystanders were knocked to the ground, and the Camaro’s driver is seen beating a third person.
Police assert that these victims were abducted by others but that they have not yet reported the crimes.
‘We’re releasing video and images of these other victims, hoping someone knows who they are,’ LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno said.
At least a few victims, according to police, had significant wounds. Moreno remarked, “For all we know, they may be lying down in a hospital somewhere.”
The detective thinks that people in LA’s street racing culture have a code of silence that prevents victims from coming forward.
The victim of a near-fatal beating may choose not to claim their position as a victim. It’s just the way things work,” he remarked.
The suspect, who was last seen fleeing the scene after getting out of his Camaro, is wanted by police and they are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his location.
Even though the automobile has been found, investigators are still hunting for the driver, more witnesses, and additional victims.
The family of Guajaca started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her funeral costs.
‘My sister was an aunty to my beautiful girls who loved her so much,’ her brother Louie Guajaca wrote. He said Elyzza was ‘the rock to our family’ and described her as ‘a good, goofy, funny, outgoing person.’
