Street race leaves mother and 2 children dead
11-Oct-2007, 11:42 AM
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Street race leaves mother and 2 children dead
For those of you that think street racing is cool.... it's horrible to think this could happen to anyone, all because some guys wanted to prove their ***** were bigger by racing on a street..
"3 killed, 5 hurt in crash in El Monte
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Two cars that may have been racing through a four-way stop collide with others, police say. No arrests are made.
By Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 9, 2007
A woman and her two children died Monday night when their vehicle was struck by one of two cars believed to be involved in an illegal street race in a quiet El Monte neighborhood, police said.
Five people also were hurt.
Witnesses
Witnesses
click to enlarge
Memorial
Memorial
click to enlarge
The dead, who were not identified, were trapped in their sedan when it was broadsided in an intersection, pushed some 50 feet by the force of the collision and burst into flames moments later.
"It is a horrific scene," said El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva.
"If the preliminary indications are correct and these vehicle were racing," he said, "it is another example of the senseless loss of life based on people who want to disregard the safety of others to race along these city streets."
Authorities said the accident occurred about 5:40 p.m., when a red convertible Ford Mustang and an Acura Legend traveling north on Parkway Drive sped through the intersection at Elliott Avenue and set off the multi-car crash. The intersection has stop signs at four corners, police said.
The Mustang struck the sedan carrying an adult and two children with such force that both vehicles were pushed into the southbound lanes of Parkway and then into a pickup, Alva said.
The woman and children died inside the burning sedan, he said.
An adult and two children in the pickup suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The second car believed to be involved in the race continued through the intersection and struck another vehicle that was parked along the eastside curb of Parkway. An adult in that car sustained cuts and bruises.
An adult in the Mustang was taken to Greater El Monte Community Hospital for treatment and was being detained for questioning but had not been arrested, authorities said. Alva said authorities were still investigating the case and had not yet determined if the person was the driver of the Mustang or a passenger.
The Acura was found abandoned about a block from the accident scene. Police continued to search for its driver late Monday, Alva said.
Although the investigation was still underway, Alva said authorities suspected the vehicles were racing, or at least traveling at unsafe speeds, based on the skid marks found at the scene. The crushing impact on the sedan also was an indication that the vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed, Alva said.
It was not immediately clear when the victims of the accident would be identified or who, if anyone, would be charged in connection with the deaths.
greg.krikorian@latimes.com "
THE FATHERS STORY
A father's tragedy: 'Worst day of your life times three'
Grieving
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
"I'm a 44-year-old guy, you've got an 8-year-old boy and a 4-year-old daughter ... you don't have a lot else to look forward to," Stephen Groce says. "They become your life."
El Monte man lost his wife and two children in a crash that may be linked to other cars' illegal racing. He saw the aftermath as he was returning home from work but didn't realize who was involved.
By Jean-Paul Renaud, Tami Abdollah and Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
October 10, 2007
Ever since he moved his family into a home on the edge of El Monte, framing their lives against a backdrop of overpasses and a concrete riverbed, Stephen Groce had worried about the drivers that staged illegal car races on the bustling streets out front.
One of these nights, he figured, it's not going to end well.
Racing tragedy
Photo Gallery
Racing tragedy
"This was a disaster waiting to happen," he said Tuesday. "I just didn't know it was going to happen to me."
Groce had paid little mind to the crash site he passed Monday on his way home from work. When he got home, his neighbors asked him about his wife. His daughter had a fever, he told them; his wife had taken both children to see the doctor. They told him as gently as they could: Go over and talk to the cops.
Groce's wife, Dora Groce, 41; his son, Robert, 8; and his daughter, Catherine, 4, were killed as Dora Groce pulled the family's Nissan Altima out of the Brookside Mobile Country Club onto Elliott Avenue about 5:40 p.m. The mobile home park is in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, about 14 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, Groce stood in his living room, surrounded by framed family photos and toy cars, too bewildered to comprehend what had happened, much less to figure out what to do now.
"I'm a 44-year-old guy," he said. "You've got an 8-year-old boy and a 4-year-old daughter . . . . " His voice trailed off. "You don't have a lot else to look forward to. They become your life."
Police said the car was broadsided at Elliott and Parkway Drive, an intersection with stop signs on every corner.
"It was a fierce crash," said El Monte Police Det. Ralph Batres. "The explosion that resulted was immense."
Dora Groce's sedan was pushed about 50 feet and burst into flames, rendering it unrecognizable. She appears to have died on impact, but authorities fear the children died in the fire. Several other cars were struck, though less violently, and five other people were injured.
El Monte police on Tuesday identified the racers as Robert Canizalez, 19, and Martin Morones, 21.
Canizalez, allegedly the driver of the red convertible Ford Mustang that struck the family's car, was injured in the accident, though not seriously, and detained at the scene, apparently by witnesses. He was charged Tuesday with three counts of murder and was being held in lieu of $3-million bail.
Morones was still being sought Tuesday night. He was charged in absentia with three counts of murder and one felony count of hit-and-run, Batres said. His Honda was found about a block from the accident scene.
"It's the worst day of your life -- times three," Stephen Groce said. "These guys took my life away from me just because they wanted to act stupid."
Both men live in the same, 450-unit mobile home park as the Groce family. Groce, who works as an inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he did not know them.
All day Tuesday, friends and relatives, even friends of his wife that he'd never met, dropped by the family home.
"I don't know what to say," one of his colleagues said as he walked through the door of the Groce family's home. "I don't know what to tell you."
The men hugged.
"You OK?" Groce asked him.
El Monte Mayor Ernest Gutierrez said the crash provided another example of why street racing is dangerous and should be reported to police.
Neighbors said it was common for drivers to speed along the road in front of the mobile home park, but police said there had been only three calls reporting speeding in the area in the last nine months.
One visitor to the Groce house, family friend Nora Torrez, grabbed some of Groce's family photos and said she would use them to print fliers demanding speed bumps. Neighbors said they'd tried that before, to no avail.
Stephen Groce searched too, for the right reaction to the accident.
"I sit in here and I think I should be doing something," he said.
But there was nothing to do. They were gone: Robert, the prankster. Curly-haired Catherine, a daddy's girl. And Dora, the woman he was so sure about he married her seven weeks after they met.
He was left wrestling with Dora's legacy. She was an avid Christian, he said, and would have preached forgiveness if she'd been faced with a similar tragedy.
"She would just tell them, 'God bless you,' " he said. "I can't do that."
jp.renaud@latimes.com
tami.abdollah@latimes.com
scott.gold@latimes.com
SOURCE: LA TIMES
"3 killed, 5 hurt in crash in El Monte
template_bas
template_bas
Two cars that may have been racing through a four-way stop collide with others, police say. No arrests are made.
By Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 9, 2007
A woman and her two children died Monday night when their vehicle was struck by one of two cars believed to be involved in an illegal street race in a quiet El Monte neighborhood, police said.
Five people also were hurt.
Witnesses
Witnesses
click to enlarge
Memorial
Memorial
click to enlarge
The dead, who were not identified, were trapped in their sedan when it was broadsided in an intersection, pushed some 50 feet by the force of the collision and burst into flames moments later.
"It is a horrific scene," said El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva.
"If the preliminary indications are correct and these vehicle were racing," he said, "it is another example of the senseless loss of life based on people who want to disregard the safety of others to race along these city streets."
Authorities said the accident occurred about 5:40 p.m., when a red convertible Ford Mustang and an Acura Legend traveling north on Parkway Drive sped through the intersection at Elliott Avenue and set off the multi-car crash. The intersection has stop signs at four corners, police said.
The Mustang struck the sedan carrying an adult and two children with such force that both vehicles were pushed into the southbound lanes of Parkway and then into a pickup, Alva said.
The woman and children died inside the burning sedan, he said.
An adult and two children in the pickup suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The second car believed to be involved in the race continued through the intersection and struck another vehicle that was parked along the eastside curb of Parkway. An adult in that car sustained cuts and bruises.
An adult in the Mustang was taken to Greater El Monte Community Hospital for treatment and was being detained for questioning but had not been arrested, authorities said. Alva said authorities were still investigating the case and had not yet determined if the person was the driver of the Mustang or a passenger.
The Acura was found abandoned about a block from the accident scene. Police continued to search for its driver late Monday, Alva said.
Although the investigation was still underway, Alva said authorities suspected the vehicles were racing, or at least traveling at unsafe speeds, based on the skid marks found at the scene. The crushing impact on the sedan also was an indication that the vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed, Alva said.
It was not immediately clear when the victims of the accident would be identified or who, if anyone, would be charged in connection with the deaths.
greg.krikorian@latimes.com "
THE FATHERS STORY
A father's tragedy: 'Worst day of your life times three'
Grieving
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
"I'm a 44-year-old guy, you've got an 8-year-old boy and a 4-year-old daughter ... you don't have a lot else to look forward to," Stephen Groce says. "They become your life."
El Monte man lost his wife and two children in a crash that may be linked to other cars' illegal racing. He saw the aftermath as he was returning home from work but didn't realize who was involved.
By Jean-Paul Renaud, Tami Abdollah and Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
October 10, 2007
Ever since he moved his family into a home on the edge of El Monte, framing their lives against a backdrop of overpasses and a concrete riverbed, Stephen Groce had worried about the drivers that staged illegal car races on the bustling streets out front.
One of these nights, he figured, it's not going to end well.
Racing tragedy
Photo Gallery
Racing tragedy
"This was a disaster waiting to happen," he said Tuesday. "I just didn't know it was going to happen to me."
Groce had paid little mind to the crash site he passed Monday on his way home from work. When he got home, his neighbors asked him about his wife. His daughter had a fever, he told them; his wife had taken both children to see the doctor. They told him as gently as they could: Go over and talk to the cops.
Groce's wife, Dora Groce, 41; his son, Robert, 8; and his daughter, Catherine, 4, were killed as Dora Groce pulled the family's Nissan Altima out of the Brookside Mobile Country Club onto Elliott Avenue about 5:40 p.m. The mobile home park is in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, about 14 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, Groce stood in his living room, surrounded by framed family photos and toy cars, too bewildered to comprehend what had happened, much less to figure out what to do now.
"I'm a 44-year-old guy," he said. "You've got an 8-year-old boy and a 4-year-old daughter . . . . " His voice trailed off. "You don't have a lot else to look forward to. They become your life."
Police said the car was broadsided at Elliott and Parkway Drive, an intersection with stop signs on every corner.
"It was a fierce crash," said El Monte Police Det. Ralph Batres. "The explosion that resulted was immense."
Dora Groce's sedan was pushed about 50 feet and burst into flames, rendering it unrecognizable. She appears to have died on impact, but authorities fear the children died in the fire. Several other cars were struck, though less violently, and five other people were injured.
El Monte police on Tuesday identified the racers as Robert Canizalez, 19, and Martin Morones, 21.
Canizalez, allegedly the driver of the red convertible Ford Mustang that struck the family's car, was injured in the accident, though not seriously, and detained at the scene, apparently by witnesses. He was charged Tuesday with three counts of murder and was being held in lieu of $3-million bail.
Morones was still being sought Tuesday night. He was charged in absentia with three counts of murder and one felony count of hit-and-run, Batres said. His Honda was found about a block from the accident scene.
"It's the worst day of your life -- times three," Stephen Groce said. "These guys took my life away from me just because they wanted to act stupid."
Both men live in the same, 450-unit mobile home park as the Groce family. Groce, who works as an inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he did not know them.
All day Tuesday, friends and relatives, even friends of his wife that he'd never met, dropped by the family home.
"I don't know what to say," one of his colleagues said as he walked through the door of the Groce family's home. "I don't know what to tell you."
The men hugged.
"You OK?" Groce asked him.
El Monte Mayor Ernest Gutierrez said the crash provided another example of why street racing is dangerous and should be reported to police.
Neighbors said it was common for drivers to speed along the road in front of the mobile home park, but police said there had been only three calls reporting speeding in the area in the last nine months.
One visitor to the Groce house, family friend Nora Torrez, grabbed some of Groce's family photos and said she would use them to print fliers demanding speed bumps. Neighbors said they'd tried that before, to no avail.
Stephen Groce searched too, for the right reaction to the accident.
"I sit in here and I think I should be doing something," he said.
But there was nothing to do. They were gone: Robert, the prankster. Curly-haired Catherine, a daddy's girl. And Dora, the woman he was so sure about he married her seven weeks after they met.
He was left wrestling with Dora's legacy. She was an avid Christian, he said, and would have preached forgiveness if she'd been faced with a similar tragedy.
"She would just tell them, 'God bless you,' " he said. "I can't do that."
jp.renaud@latimes.com
tami.abdollah@latimes.com
scott.gold@latimes.com
SOURCE: LA TIMES
11-Oct-2007, 11:56 AM
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: GTA
Posts: 2,305
you know what's even more dangerous? being born in the US
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/paren...dex/index.html
people are still gonna do it.
to lose someone, especially if it was avoidable, is hard. beyond what words can describe.
but sensationalizing something that affects less than 0.05% of the population and changing laws to force everyone into a behavior that you know won't happen is just a waste of time, money, and punishes everyone for being human.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/paren...dex/index.html
people are still gonna do it.
to lose someone, especially if it was avoidable, is hard. beyond what words can describe.
but sensationalizing something that affects less than 0.05% of the population and changing laws to force everyone into a behavior that you know won't happen is just a waste of time, money, and punishes everyone for being human.
Last edited by bruce fee; 11-Oct-2007 at 12:02 PM.
11-Oct-2007, 12:10 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 13,184
you know what's even more dangerous? being born in the US
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/paren...dex/index.html
people are still gonna do it.
to lose someone, especially if it was avoidable, is hard. beyond what words can describe.
but sensationalizing something that affects less than 0.05% of the population and changing laws to force everyone into a behavior that you know won't happen is just a waste of time, money, and punishes everyone for being human.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/paren...dex/index.html
people are still gonna do it.
to lose someone, especially if it was avoidable, is hard. beyond what words can describe.
but sensationalizing something that affects less than 0.05% of the population and changing laws to force everyone into a behavior that you know won't happen is just a waste of time, money, and punishes everyone for being human.
Them trying to get speed bumps put in isn't so horrible if it a community area that's noted for racing. I don't see them reacting like stupid Dalton did with his knee-jerk street racing law. As sad as it is, if people learned from situations like this the world would be a better place.
11-Oct-2007, 12:11 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 147
I did in no way post this to say that the street racing laws are good, in fact I think they are stupid - when you can get off easier for driving drunk than you can for 'street racing' (something that has still not been defined and is totally up to the discretion of a cop).
Them trying to get speed bumps put in isn't so horrible if it a community area that's noted for racing. I don't see them reacting like stupid Dalton did with his knee-jerk street racing law. As sad as it is, if people learned from situations like this the world would be a better place.
Them trying to get speed bumps put in isn't so horrible if it a community area that's noted for racing. I don't see them reacting like stupid Dalton did with his knee-jerk street racing law. As sad as it is, if people learned from situations like this the world would be a better place.
the problem is the " it wont happen to me mentality"
11-Oct-2007, 02:00 PM
#7
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 1,416
How would you prevent accidents like these from happening if you were in a position to make a decision or pass a new law? I see that you are very quick at opposing the views of many people on this forum, but I don't see you propose a better alternative.
14-Oct-2007, 01:44 PM
#8
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: GTA
Posts: 2,305
indirectly alluding? no, just go read the topic about that law, and you'll see I support it as much as the police department supports drug testing police officers.
how about ticketing everyone does 90-99km/h in the left lane on the 401 when there isn't a traffic jam?
how about increasing speed limits to 120km/hr as to what the 401 was designed for?
how about making people redo their test every 5 years instead of just a sticker validation? $100/5 years with a quick eye exam is better than allowing people who shouldn't be driving onto the road continuously.
how about ticketing people who don't signal when they should, or people who don't know where to stop at an intersection?
Let's put GPS tracking, siren tracking, and see what cops on patrol on doing... I used to work security when I was in school, cops would hang out in the parking lot, like 2-3 cars...
i am for the ride program, but I find it ridiculously stupid how there are none out at 2:30am... we've only ever gotten pulled over downtown on the way to the club/bar... never on the way home... sure they want to be home... but all the drunks are out between 2-3am... you know, when you have to leave if you want to keep drinking.
i think any law that exists should be enforced 100% of the time if possible, and the punishment should keep that in mind.
you can know exactly the number of people who speed on the 407 by looking at the transaction logs... distance travelled, entry and exit points... why did they never hand out tickets? even when it was government owned?
because it's assumed a majority of the people will be speeding.
stupid laws are a waste of time, money, and do nothing to add safety.
i know of a few people's mothers who do not drive on the highway because they're scared. They are just as, or more dangerous than anybody speeding twice the difference they are going at less than 100km/h
how about ticketing everyone does 90-99km/h in the left lane on the 401 when there isn't a traffic jam?
how about increasing speed limits to 120km/hr as to what the 401 was designed for?
how about making people redo their test every 5 years instead of just a sticker validation? $100/5 years with a quick eye exam is better than allowing people who shouldn't be driving onto the road continuously.
how about ticketing people who don't signal when they should, or people who don't know where to stop at an intersection?
Let's put GPS tracking, siren tracking, and see what cops on patrol on doing... I used to work security when I was in school, cops would hang out in the parking lot, like 2-3 cars...
i am for the ride program, but I find it ridiculously stupid how there are none out at 2:30am... we've only ever gotten pulled over downtown on the way to the club/bar... never on the way home... sure they want to be home... but all the drunks are out between 2-3am... you know, when you have to leave if you want to keep drinking.
i think any law that exists should be enforced 100% of the time if possible, and the punishment should keep that in mind.
you can know exactly the number of people who speed on the 407 by looking at the transaction logs... distance travelled, entry and exit points... why did they never hand out tickets? even when it was government owned?
because it's assumed a majority of the people will be speeding.
stupid laws are a waste of time, money, and do nothing to add safety.
i know of a few people's mothers who do not drive on the highway because they're scared. They are just as, or more dangerous than anybody speeding twice the difference they are going at less than 100km/h
14-Oct-2007, 02:24 PM
#9
totally agree!! ^^^
as for the other post, the cnn one regarding infant mortality... yeah it's pretty sad, but the reality is the planet is kinda overpopulated anyways.
in addition, I think there should be punishment for poor breeding practices. like that scam at the grocery store to add a dollar to your bill in order to help kids get a better breakfast. i say let them suffer for the poor breeding practices of their parents. no one but my parents ever fed me, so why should I feed someone elses kids? my parents worked hard, and so should their parents.
as for the other post, the cnn one regarding infant mortality... yeah it's pretty sad, but the reality is the planet is kinda overpopulated anyways.
in addition, I think there should be punishment for poor breeding practices. like that scam at the grocery store to add a dollar to your bill in order to help kids get a better breakfast. i say let them suffer for the poor breeding practices of their parents. no one but my parents ever fed me, so why should I feed someone elses kids? my parents worked hard, and so should their parents.
15-Oct-2007, 10:03 AM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 1,416
how about ticketing everyone does 90-99km/h in the left lane on the 401 when there isn't a traffic jam?
how about increasing speed limits to 120km/hr as to what the 401 was designed for?
how about making people redo their test every 5 years instead of just a sticker validation? $100/5 years with a quick eye exam is better than allowing people who shouldn't be driving onto the road continuously.
how about ticketing people who don't signal when they should, or people who don't know where to stop at an intersection?
Let's put GPS tracking, siren tracking, and see what cops on patrol on doing... I used to work security when I was in school, cops would hang out in the parking lot, like 2-3 cars...
i am for the ride program, but I find it ridiculously stupid how there are none out at 2:30am... we've only ever gotten pulled over downtown on the way to the club/bar... never on the way home... sure they want to be home... but all the drunks are out between 2-3am... you know, when you have to leave if you want to keep drinking.
i think any law that exists should be enforced 100% of the time if possible, and the punishment should keep that in mind.
you can know exactly the number of people who speed on the 407 by looking at the transaction logs... distance travelled, entry and exit points... why did they never hand out tickets? even when it was government owned?
how about increasing speed limits to 120km/hr as to what the 401 was designed for?
how about making people redo their test every 5 years instead of just a sticker validation? $100/5 years with a quick eye exam is better than allowing people who shouldn't be driving onto the road continuously.
how about ticketing people who don't signal when they should, or people who don't know where to stop at an intersection?
Let's put GPS tracking, siren tracking, and see what cops on patrol on doing... I used to work security when I was in school, cops would hang out in the parking lot, like 2-3 cars...
i am for the ride program, but I find it ridiculously stupid how there are none out at 2:30am... we've only ever gotten pulled over downtown on the way to the club/bar... never on the way home... sure they want to be home... but all the drunks are out between 2-3am... you know, when you have to leave if you want to keep drinking.
i think any law that exists should be enforced 100% of the time if possible, and the punishment should keep that in mind.
you can know exactly the number of people who speed on the 407 by looking at the transaction logs... distance travelled, entry and exit points... why did they never hand out tickets? even when it was government owned?
My point too is that any law that exists should be enforced 100%.
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