Hyde Park street takeover fatality: Suspect arrested, 2 more sought
Los Angeles police announced an arrest Tuesday morning in the case of a woman who was killed in Hyde Park on Christmas during a street takeover by a car performing stunts in an intersection.
The 28-year-old suspect was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and faces a murder charge. He was identified as Dante Chapple Young. Young was in the process of being extradited back to Los Angeles, according to LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno. He was arrested on Thursday, Moreno said. Young reportedly lives in Orange County.
Two other suspects are still being sought by police.
Elyzza Guajaca, a 24-year-old nursing student, was standing in a crowd of spectators near the northeast corner of Crenshaw Blvd. and Florence Ave. at about 9:07 p.m. on Dec. 25 when she was struck by a vehicle doing donuts in the intersection. Guajaca was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno said in a news conference that the suspect was developed as a person of interest in the week after Guajaca's death. Investigators received many tips, and determined the suspect had traveled through Arizona to New Mexico to evade arrest. Moreno said other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, assisted the LAPD investigation.
"Some of the things that were done and to evade capture at certain points, it literally was like watching a movie, like living through a movie," Det. Moreno said.
The driver of the suspect vehicle fled the scene on foot on Christmas night. The vehicle, a black Chevrolet Camaro, was seized by LAPD the night of the incident. According to Moreno, friends of the suspect's tried to push the vehicle away from the spot of the street takeover, but it was recovered by LAPD and impounded.
Moreno said three vehicles had been "actively swinging" in the intersection when the Camaro collided with a tow truck that was blocking one of the roadways. The Camaro then went into the crowd, killing Guajaca.
The tow truck "blocker" was also taken into police custody. Police were seeking two other vehicles and their drivers, both Nissan Infinitis: one car was described as two-tone gray and the other car was described as white. Descriptions of the suspects were not released.
"For those two individuals in those two cars — the gray Infiniti and the white car at the time that was swinging in the pit — to turn themselves in and come forward," Moreno said during the press conference. "Because we got this guy, far away from L.A., we're pretty confident that we're going to get these other two."
Police had also been searching for other victims of the night's event. Police said six or seven other people were injured in the incident, possibly by the same vehicle that lost control.
As they continue their search for the suspects, LAPD says that it is working to updating the definition of street racing with the California State Legislature in order to increase the severity of consequences for drivers involved in street takeovers.
Police estimated about 200 people were present at the Christmas night event.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. held a news conference to announce the arrest at a 10 a.m. Tuesday at the department's South Traffic Division on 4125 S. Crenshaw Blvd.
A $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to arrests in the case.
Anyone with any information about the Christmas night incident and the two outstanding suspects was urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. Tipsters may also visit www.lapdonline.org and click on "Anonymous Web Tips" under the "Get Involved-Crime Stoppers" menu to submit an online tip.