Second man suspected of driving in deadly street race charged with murder

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The Ford Mustang that struck three pedestrians, killing two of them, in Chatsworth is removed.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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LAPD investigators survey skid marks at the scene where two pedestrians were killed by an out-of-control Ford Mustang that officials say was street racing in Chatsworth.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles police announce a suspect in the Chatsworth fatal street race. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Two pedestrians were killed by the driver of a Ford Mustang who fled the scene in Chatsworth, police said.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Skid marks crisscross the pavement at the scene where two pedestrians were killed in Chatsworth.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Authorities hold a news conference about the deadly crash that in Chatsworth.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

By Veronica Rocha

March 5, 2015 1:20 PM PT

A second driver wanted in connection with an illegal street race that left two dead in Chatsworth last week has been arrested, police said.

Irael Valenzuela, 38, of Los Angeles was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles on suspicion of murder after police received tips from the public about him, Los Angeles police Officer Liliana Preciado said.

He was charged Thursday afternoon with two counts of murder and one count of engaging in a vehicle speed contest on a highway -- an action that also caused a concussion, said Ricardo Santiago, spokesman of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Police had been searching for the driver after they said he fled the scene. Police said he was racing Henry Michael Gevorgyan on Plummer Street.

Gevorgyan, 21, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder charges stemming from the race. Gevorgyan and Valenzuela face the same charges, Santiago said.

Police said his Ford Mustang spun out of control and veered into a group of spectators during the street race at an industrial park.

Eric Siguenza, 26, of Los Angeles and Wilson Thomas Wong, 50, of Torrance were killed and a third man was injured.

Gevorgyan faces two counts of murder and one count of engaging in a vehicle speed contest on a highway -- an action that also caused a concussion, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Gevorgyan’s attorney, Kate Hardie, told The Times that Gevorgyan was not driving the Mustang at the time of the fatal crash.

A video from the street race shows Gevorgyan standing at the starting line between the two cars, she said.

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