More than a dozen people charged with reckless driving appeared in San Diego Superior Court on Monday and Tuesday, part of the county’s crackdown on dangerous and deadly street racing.
The suspects were involved in five separate incidents across the county last March, according to prosecutors with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. At times, investigators say, drivers reached speeds up to 160 mph on freeways.
The group, a total of 21 people, were indicted for conspiring to engage in street racing events that were organized on social media, according to DA’s office.
Those indicted, who range in age from 43 to 21, include:
Amir Abdullah
Matthew Acevedo
Onno Cooley
Javier Cortez
Christopher Fiscal
Trevion Fort
Cory Gloudeman
Gustavo Gonzalez-Rodriguez
Terrel Griffin
Kerry Laborde
Jose Mandujano-Hernandez
Ashanti Molton
Daniel Morales
Alfredo Nambo
Brandon Romero
Trevor Thomas
Allen Valdovinos
Julian Vazquez
Erin Webster
One of the defendants, who entered a not-guilty plea on Tuesday and said he did not want to show his face, spoke to NBC 7 outside of court. He said he believes the charges are based on false premises.
“We’re being indicted for just being on social media and, I guess, just having the wrong people follow us or befriend us,” the driver said. “The main charge, too, is exhibition of speed, which is doing donuts and burnouts. My car’s an all-wheel drive vehicle. Physically, it’s almost impossible to do that in that vehicle, too, so that’s something that I want to see how they’re explaining that logic of charging us with that.”
Over the past four years, according to prosecutors, six people have been killed in speed racing crashes.
The last few people accused of street racing are expected to appear in court on Thursday.