Neighbors Stunned by Teens’ Tragic Crash

Residents at the Woodlake Apartments in the Crenshaw district were stunned and somber Wednesday, one day after three teenagers from that complex were involved in a tragic auto accident that killed one and left another charged with vehicular manslaughter.

“It has really taken a toll on the people here who are acquainted with the kids,” said Ethel Porter, a longtime resident of the apartment complex in the 3700 block of Chesapeake Avenue.

Lakesha Thomas, the unlicensed 18-year-old driver of the car, was booked on a manslaughter charge at the jail ward of County-USC Medical Center, where she was treated for minor injuries, authorities said. She was transferred Wednesday to the Twin Towers jail.

Her friend Melvin Mitchell, 16, who rode in the front passenger seat of the car, died of injuries sustained in the crash at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. The third teenager, Maris Brooks, 16, who rode in the back seat, was seriously injured and taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center for treatment, police said.

Thomas had invited her friends for a ride in her parents’ car to a nearby gas station to put air in the tires, according to friends. It was unclear Wednesday if she had permission to take the car.

Police investigators said Thomas was driving south on Arlington Avenue, east of Leimert Park, when she lost control while trying to maneuver around a car that had stopped to turn left onto 41st Drive. Los Angeles Police Det. Bill Whittaker estimated that Thomas was traveling about 60 mph in a 35-mph zone.

While trying to avoid the stopped car, Thomas swerved into the curb, Whittaker said. Her car bounced off the curb and into the path of a northbound auto. That car slammed into the passenger side of Thomas’ car, pinning Mitchell against the door, Whittaker said.

There was no sign that Thomas was under the influence of alcohol, the detective said.

“She was with her friends and wasn’t paying attention and was going too fast,” he said.

It took firefighters using emergency equipment nearly 30 minutes to open the car’s roof and free the three teenagers, authorities said.

The driver of the other car and his passenger were treated at King/Drew and released.

Whittaker said Thomas was charged because the speed of the car showed gross negligence.

Residents near the site of the accident said they have seen several crashes and near-collisions over the years due to speeding.

“Arlington is like a freeway,” said Eric Lewis, 26, who lives two doors from the accident scene.

Robert Cater, a retired contractor who has lived at Arlington and 41st Drive for 29 years, said a speeding car jumped the curb several years ago and plowed into the corner of his house. He has since fortified his home with a low brick wall.

“They do a lot of speeding through here,” he said.

At the Woodlake Apartments--a large, light blue stucco complex in a quiet residential neighborhood--neighbors Wednesday described Thomas, Mitchell and Brooks as close friends who had known one another for more than two years.

They referred to each other as “partners,” their friends said. Brooks and Thomas attended Dorsey High School.

A relative at Thomas’ apartment said the family was too distraught to comment about the tragedy. Mitchell’s family could not be reached.

Kevin Smith, a tenant at the complex and close friend of the three teenagers, said most of his neighbors were shaken by the accident and by the charges filed against Thomas.

“They are not troublemakers,” said Smith, who also attends Dorsey. “Melvin wanted to finish school and go to college.”

Throughout the afternoon, residents hugged and consoled each other.

“It really hasn’t set in,” Smith said.