The driver who police say slammed into a car filled with teenagers, killing one of them, in Burke, Virginia, appeared to be racing with another car moments before the crash, according to witness statements in search warrant documents obtained by News4.
Rebekah Zarco, 17, was killed and her brother and two of his friends were critically hurt when her car was struck by a Cadillac as they started to turn left out of a shopping center parking onto Burke Centre Parkway the night of July 18. The teens were headed home from a prayer service at the time.
One witness told Fairfax County police the driver of the Cadillac that slammed into Zarco's car was going excessively fast and making lane changes with another car at several intersections before the crash, search warrant documents say.
The court filing also says security camera video shows two cars traveling through an intersection at
a high rate of speed with engines racing. Then, the impact of the crash can be heard in the video.
The Cadillac driver, 42-year-old Jose Angel Zelaya, was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Police said he was driving nearly twice the 40 mph speed limit before the crash.
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As of Aug. 1, the teens who were seriously hurt in the crash remained hospitalized. Their current conditions are unknown at this time.
Zelaya also was injured in the crash.
