Street racing likely led to fatal crash in South L.A., police say

A driver who police say may have been street racing in South Los Angeles was killed in a crash in Gramercy Park early Friday.

The 29-year-old man was speeding in the 9300 block of South Western Avenue around midnight when he slammed into a parked van, LAPD Officer Jader Chaves said.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m.

Investigators think the death was the result of a street race. A black, four-door sedan was seen speeding alongside the man’s vehicle, police say. The driver fled the scene after the crash.

Video from a home security camera across the street shows the violent crash. A silver Mazda can be seen speeding into view before slamming head-on into a parked white van. Seconds later, a black sedan speeds past the crash.

The homeowner who provided the video to ABC-TV Channel 7 told the news outlet that dangerous driving is common in that area.

South L.A. has long been a trouble spot for street racing, authorities say. In a one-year period from July 2016 to July 2017, the California Highway Patrol recorded almost 700 racing incidents in Los Angeles County.