2 South LA street racers face murder charges for pedestrian death
Two men are facing murder charges after their South Los Angeles street racing stint left a 20-year-old woman dead in the street.
Los Angeles Police Department detectives announced the arrests of the two street racers at a Downtown Los Angeles news conference Thursday, where they were joined by the family of Anna Michelle Solis, who lost her life July 21 as she was crossing Hill Street and 33rd Street.
Police said Solis was one of three people killed so far this year in Los Angeles by street racing.
Around 10:20 p.m. on July 21, a black Jaguar and a black Dodge Caravan had been racing along Hill Street. The hit-and-run of Solis happened at Hill and 33rd Street. Both drivers fled after the black Jaguar struck Solis, killing her on impact.
Detectives said they worked with gang, narcotics, and metro teams as well as the street racing task force to find the suspects and arrest them.
They also used pieces of the damaged Jaguar to identify the car with the help of a dealership.
"I sit here today, and there is nothing I'm going to say that's going to bring solace to this family. But all I can simply highlight is all the hard work that was done on this particular case," said Det. Daniel Ramirez.
Javorrie Murphy, 25 of Palmdale, was arrested for felony hit-and-run and second-degree murder. Murphy was identified as the driver of the Jaguar.
Devin Wagner, 19, of Los Angeles, was arrested for second-degree murder. Wagner was identified as the driver of the Dodge Challenger.
The bail for Murphy and Wagner was set at $2,000,000.00. Both vehicles were recovered and impounded for evidence.
The family of Solis said she was a musician who loved the Los Angeles culture.
"It's one thing when you lose someone to something like a disease or old age, but when you lose someone to something that is one hundred percent preventable, it's like nothing you can imagine,' said Lori Argumedo, Street Racing Kills.
