Costa Mesa man charged in Irvine crash that killed girl, grandmother

A Costa Mesa resident accused of killing a woman and her 2-year-old granddaughter in a hit-and-run crash last week in Irvine was charged Monday with two counts of vehicular manslaughter.

Alec Scott Abraham, 20, also faces felony counts of hit-and-run and reckless driving and one count of petty theft on an allegation of stealing a bystander’s cellphone.

Abraham appeared in a Santa Ana courtroom Monday but did not enter a plea, according to court records. Arraignment is set for June 23.

He could be sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison if convicted, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors allege that Abraham was driving a Ford Mustang on Wednesday night when it sped through a red light at Alton and Barranca parkways and smashed into the driver’s side of a Chevrolet Cruze.

Authorities are looking into the possibility that street racing may have prompted the crash.

The Cruze’s driver, Katherine Hampton, 54, of Lake Forest, was pronounced dead at the scene. On Sunday, Hampton’s 2-year-old granddaughter, Kaydence Hampton, also died from injuries caused by the crash. according to authorities.

She had been sitting behind her grandmother on the driver’s side of the car and was in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, according to the district attorney’s office. Crews revived her at the hospital, but she continued suffering brain swelling, prosecutors said.

Hampton’s 28-year-old daughter and her 7-year-old grandson also were in the car and are in stable condition at a hospital, authorities said. The daughter suffered a fractured jaw, and the grandson suffered a broken collar bone, according to prosecutors.

The force of the collision pushed the Cruze into a Honda Civic that was stopped at the intersection, according to prosecutors. The woman driving the Civic was treated for minor injuries, authorities said.

According to prosecutors, Abraham fled the scene; he asked to use a bystander’s cellphone and then took off with it.

Irvine police arrested Abraham around 12:20 p.m. Thursday in a Costa Mesa park.

He is being held with bail set at $1 million.