Chatsworth fatal street-racing hit-and-run driver sought

CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles police identified the driver believed to be responsible for a deadly hit-and-run during an alleged illegal street race in Chatsworth on Thursday.

Henry Gevorgyan, 21, is accused of driving a gray Ford Mustang that plowed into a crowd of onlookers, killing two spectators and seriously injuring another person.

The injured victim was said to be in critical but stable condition at a local hospital and is expected to survive. One of the victims who was killed has been identified as 26-year-old Eric Siguenza.

Eric Siguenza, 26, is seen in a DMV file photo.

LAPD investigators said all three pedestrians were watching the street-racing event at the time of the crash. All three were described as men in their 20s.

Officials believe two cars were racing westbound on Plummer Street when one of the cars, a Mustang, lost control, jumped the sidewalk and slammed into the pedestrians.

"Street racing, all too often, is publicized as glamorous entertainment, and here's a case where street racing is criminal, dangerous and unfortunately this morning, we see it's deadly," LAPD Capt. John McMahon said.

Authorities said the impact caused one of the victims to be launched airborne into the parking lot of Chatsworth Business Park.

Officials said Gevorgyan crashed the Mustang and fled the scene of the incident, which occurred around 2:30 a.m. near Plummer Street and Canoga Avenue.

Later that night, several people created a small memorial for the victims by the curb on Plummer Street.

The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph, but investigators believe the Mustang was going much faster than that. The vehicle has several after-market racing modifications from its tires to its engine.

"It's a newer vehicle, and some of these newer vehicles are modified sports cars, but at this particular point, we don't have anything to point that it's anything illegal on the vehicle," LAPD Detective Bill Butos said.

The pavement at the scene was covered in tire skid marks. The area is known for illegal street racing. Neighbors say they've complained to authorities.

"They just race and race and race. Two cars from this lane, where all those marks are, that's where they start, and they shoot all the way down to Topanga, blowing through that stop sign," area resident Michael Grossman said.

LAPD officers have made 23 arrests involving illegal street-racing and gatherings. They've also cited 496 individuals with modified vehicles. Of those violations, 46 of those individuals had a prior history of convictions involving street racing and aggressive driving.

Police are searching for Gevorgyan as well as the driver of another car believed to be racing the Mustang. Video obtained by Eyewitness News shows the second vehicle as a Nissan GTR.

LAPD investigators described Gevorgyan as a white male, who is approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall.

Police believe there were dozens of people who witnessed the incident. If you have any information about this case, you're urged to contact Officer Takishita at (818) 644-8116 or Detective William Bustos at (818) 644-8021.