Second suspect is arrested in deadly street race in Hawthorne
Posted by Hawthorne Police on Friday, January 15, 2016
A second man has been arrested in connection with a suspected illegal street race in Hawthorne last week that killed a 36-year-old elementary school music teacher, police said Thursday.
Anthony Leon Holley, 40, turned himself in to Hawthorne police late Tuesday, saying he was the driver of a red Camaro believed to have been involved in the midday race in the 13100 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, Hawthorne Police Officer Sean Judd said.
On Jan. 15, the driver of a silver Chevrolet Cobalt, whom authorities have identified as Alfredo Perez Davila, 23, of Hawthorne began racing the Camaro just before 1 p.m., police said.
During the race in the northbound lanes, Davila lost control of the Cobalt and swerved across several lanes of traffic before striking the center median and becoming airborne into southbound taffic, Judd said.
The Cobalt slammed into a Honda CRV driving southbound, instantly killing the driver, Benjamin Golbin, an alto saxophone player who was driving from his job teaching a music class at Children of Promise Preparatory Academy in Inglewood. Golbin was on his way to teach another class in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.
The Cobalt rolled over Golbin’s car, which was ripped apart in the impact. The Cobalt landed upright, and parts of its transmission were found in the victim’s vehicle because of the catastrophic force, Judd said.
Despite his car being badly damaged, Davila was uninjured and arrested at the scene, Judd said.
“It was right in the middle of lunch-hour traffic,” Judd said. “It’s tragic that the victim died, and it’s a miracle that more people weren’t killed.”
The Camaro continued driving, and police were still trying to identify the driver when Holley turned himself in, authorities said. The red Camaro was located in Fontana and impounded as evidence.
The Los Angeles district attorney’s office on Tuesday charged Davila with one count each of murder and vehicular manslaughter. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison.
Davila has pleaded not guilty.
Holley is expected to appear in court Friday, Hawthorne police said.
Follow me at @haileybranson / Google+
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