Irvine hit-run crash: Driver fled scene, called parents to pick him up

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The driver accused in a hit-and-run crash that killed a woman and her 2-year-old granddaughter in Irvine fled the scene out of panic, his defense attorney said.

Alec Abraham, 20, made his first court appearance Monday in a Santa Ana court. He's accused of running a red light and slamming into two cars, killing two and injuring three others.

"My client saw the family. The grandmother appeared to be dead and he just panicked and he went away and he called his parents," defense attorney Gary Pohlson said.

Prosecutors allege Abraham was street racing last week in his Ford Mustang when he ran the red light and slammed into a white Chevy Cruze. The driver Katherine Hampton, 54, died at the scene and her 2-year-old granddaughter Kaydence died days later.

Hampton's 7-year-old grandson and 28-year-old daughter were still recovering in the hospital. Another woman in a black Honda Civic was treated and released.

Prosecutors suspect Abraham knew exactly what he did.

"He approached the car of the victims, looked inside and then made the decision to flee," prosecutor Stephen Cornwell said.

Prosecutors allege Abraham asked a bystander to borrow their cell phone, then ran off with it. The defense says Abraham's father picked him up couple blocks from the scene. He was arrested the next day in a Costa Mesa park.

"This is just devastating to him. He feels so sorry for the family," Pohlson said.

Court records show Abraham has been charged four times since last year with various driving infractions, including driving at an "unsafe speed for prevailing conditions."

The other car believed to be involved in the possible street race was described as a dark-colored coupe or sedan, possibly another Ford Mustang.

"The investigation is ongoing and we're looking for the other driver," Cornwell said.