One person has been hospitalized, another arrested, up to seven cars damaged, and city property destroyed following a crash in Las Vegas this week that police say was caused by street racing.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police reports that calls started coming in to 911 at 8:55 p.m. on Monday, October 17, about a crash involving multiple vehicles. The incident took place at the corner of South Fort Apache Road and West Flamingo Road.
The department said in a statement that its investigation revealed that a Chevrolet C8 Corvette and a Toyota Supra failed to stop for a red light while street racing. Witnesses said the cars were traveling “more than 100 mph” (161 km/h) and collided with a Chevrolet Suburban.
Read: Milwaukee Cops Get Violently T-Boned By Red-Light Runner
“It was just like an astronomical boom like a bomb went off and that is when all the power got cut, and then we only saw smoke outside of our window and what I pieced together really quickly was like a bomb went off,” Megan Streater, the manager of a convenience store located near where the accident took place, told Fox 5 Vegas. “It didn’t sound like screeching or a collision, like classic car accident sounds. It was just a huge boom.”
The accident was violent enough to damage up to seven vehicles, a bus stop, a fire hydrant, light poles, and power lines, according to police. As a result of the damage, power was knocked in the neighborhood.
“There was vehicle debris for approximately a quarter mile down the roadway, white smoke coming from a transformer, 3 vehicles with major damage, airbags deployed, and multiple other vehicles with minor to moderate damage,” according to an LVMPD officer.
Fortunately, it seems that just one person had to be taken to hospital, but police warn that “this easily could have ended someone’s life.”
One person, 25-year-old Joshua Daya, was arrested in connection with the incident. He faces several charges, including reckless driving, participating in a speed contest, and disregard for the safety of a person and property.