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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police say a 22-year-old man was killed early Saturday morning after losing control of his car and crashing into a coffee shop, ejecting him.
The fatal accident occurred just before 2 a.m. when police responded to a call of a group of people street racing. "We had multiple vehicles involved in some street racing," West Valley Police Lt. Mike Coleman said.
Coleman said when police units arrived, several vehicles ignored signals to stop and fled the scene. One of the vehicles fled south on 2700 West and clipped a vehicle at the intersection of 3500 South, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a Starbucks Coffee shop.
Street racing at any hour of the day, when you incorporate those high speeds and that competitive spirit, it can get extremely dangerous.
–Mike Coleman
Carlos Gomez, 22, was ejected from the vehicle and killed. A passenger in the same car sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene and released.
Police say two other vehicles were pursued. The second vehicle's tires were spiked on a nearby highway and a 17- year-old driver was arrested and booked into juvenile detention for investigation of felony fleeing, racing, reckless driving and driving without a license.
"It kind of freaked me out. We could hear this car and could hear the turbo engine," neighbor Ben Bargerstock said. Looking outside his window, he could see a Honda Civic with shredded tires trying to gain traction on its rims.
The driver then ducked into his backyard on foot and could be heard on his cell phone trying to get a friend to come pick him up. Bargerstock said he yelled at the man, who fled, and called police, who brought in a K-9 unit to search for the suspect.
Police were still looking for the driver.
The intersection of the fatal accident was closed to traffic until 8 a.m. Saturday. Officers say street racing can sometimes attract groups of up to 20 to 30 cars, as they take turns racing at high speeds on city streets two at a time. Police estimate Gomez was traveling between 50 and 60 mph when he lost control.
"Street racing at any hour of the day, when you incorporate those high speeds and that competitive spirit, it can get extremely dangerous," Coleman said.
Email: gfattah@desnews.com
