Authorities Thursday identified two men killed in a three-vehicle hit-and-run in the Whittier area that may have involved street racing.
The crash occurred about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday on Slauson Avenue east of Alburtis Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol, which is handling the investigation.
Moises Duran, 28, and Christopher Rivera, 30, both of Whittier died at the scene, the coroner’s office reported. Duran was driving a 2014 Ford Fusion and Rivera was his passenger, according to the coroner’s office and the CHP.
The Fusion was eastbound on Slauson Avenue when it crossed into opposing lanes of traffic and collided head-on with two pickup trucks headed westbound, according to the CHP.
The drivers of the 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche and 2015 Chevrolet Silverado suffered minor injuries, the CHP reported.
“According to witnesses, the driver of the Ford Fusion may have been engaged in a speed contest with another vehicle prior to this collision, and the Ford was going in excess of the posted speed limit of 40 mph before the driver lost control,” according to a CHP statement. “The other vehicle possibly involved in the speed contest was described as a mid-1990s to early-2000s BMW 3-series sedan, gray in color.”
The driver of the BMW was described as a white man in his 20s. Witnesses told the CHP that he stopped briefly at the scene and got out of his car but drove away before paramedics arrived.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the CHP Santa Fe Springs Area office at (562) 868-0503.