Young man killed after alleged street racer in Van Nuys crashed into his car

It's been five days since Rangel Vega and Alejandro Luquin left their Van Nuys church to grab some dinner down the road. 

The young men, who have been close friends since high school, never arrived at the restaurant. The pair were making a left turn into a parking lot when a Mercedes-Benz GT63 slammed into the passenger side of their Honda Civic. The impact of the collision crumpled Vega and Luquin's car.

Paramedics rushed the severely injured Vega and Luquin to the hospital in critical condition. While Luquin continues to recover after multiple surgeries, Vega died a day after arriving at the medical center.

"I will never forget how they looked," friend Ana Contreras, who was in a car just ahead of the two friends, said. "I was so scared."

The Los Angeles Police Department said the Mercedes driver was racing a Rolls Royce Cullinan when the collision occurred. The other alleged street racer swerved to avoid the collision but veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into a Chevy Traverse. The driver ditched the car on the curb.

"It was just heartbreaking," friend Sebastian Figueroa said. "I was like in disbelief. I just couldn't believe that it was real."

Figueroa and Contreras described Vega as a peaceful and quiet person who was full of love. 

"He has two younger brothers and two younger sisters, and just the way he was with them, you can see how much he loved them," Figueroa said. "He brought that same love to all the youth here at our ministry."

Vega and Luquin joined the church a few years ago and made an impact on everyone they came across. The pair helped mentor young kids and organized fundraisers. Youth Pastor John Miranda said the community is struggling with the loss but is continuing to share faith and support each other, including Luquin's full recovery. 

"Going to visit Alejandro just gives us strength," he said. "Yes, we lost a brother but we're still fighting for another, still praying for him."

The Mercedes driver was taken to hospital before being arrested on suspicion of reckless driving. The Rolls Royce driver has not been located. 

"I really hope that they catch the person who did this to them, and they pay the price because it's not fair," Contreras said. 

There is a memorial service planned for Rangel. It will be on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., according to Miranda. 

"It's hard to have faith when someone so young, someone that you love, is no longer with us," Miranda said. "I think that also reminds us and pushes us to grow our faith because we look at the legacy that Rangel left behind."