Long Beach street race crash leaves 1 dead, 1 injured

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- One person was killed and a second was critically injured in a street racing accident in Long Beach Monday night.

The incident occurred near Ocean Boulevard and Orizaba Avenue around 10:15 p.m.

Witnesses told responding firefighters that two vehicles had been racing immediately before the accident.

It appears a yellow 2003 Honda S2000 lost control and struck a tree in the parkway on the south side of Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said.

Police say the driver, only identified as a 22-year-old man from Long Beach, was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The passenger, identified as a 27-year-old man from Long Beach, was still seated in the passenger seat of the heavily damaged vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second car involved in the street race left the scene, but a witness tip led police to that driver. The driver was taken into custody for questioning.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the crash was urged to contact Long Beach police at (562) 570-7655.

CNS contributed to this report.