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- 2003 Black Mica MazdaSpeed Protege
What an idiot...people like him should be punished to the full extent of the law and beyond...of course, he's a juvenile, so he may get a slap on the wrist... (argh)
15-yr-old driver, in Lawrenceville crash, charged with vehicular homicide
Vehicles may have been racing, witnesses say
By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/15/07
There is no wreath of flowers, no cross to mark the place on Lawrenceville Highway where three cars collided and one life ended Sunday.
Only broken glass and a set of thick, black skid marks remain there.
Authorities say a 15-year-old street racing may have been behind the fatal wreck that took the life of a 20-year-old Lawrenceville man.
Witnesses told police that two drivers were racing southbound on Lawrenceville Highway just before dusk on Sunday when they reached a bend in the road near Huston Drive. Jeffrey Kim Aviles, the 15-year-old, lost control of his Toyota Celica, skidded into the center turn lane and struck a Honda Civic head-on, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department. The Celica also sideswiped a sport utility vehicle that was traveling behind the Civic.
The driver of the vehicle that Aviles may have been racing against has not been identified, and authorities have not released a description of that vehicle.
The driver of the Civic, identified as Leonel Vargas of Lawrenceville, died on the scene. Two passengers in the Civic suffered minor injuries. Two girls riding with Aviles, one of whom was pregnant, were seriously injured, police said. The girls, ages 12 and 15, are expected to recover. Authorities have not released information on the condition of the unborn child.
Aviles is facing charges of second-degree vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle without a valid license and failure to maintain a lane. More charges could follow if it is determined that Aviles was racing as witnesses have indicated, said Spellman. Police did not know how fast Aviles or the other vehicle was traveling. The speed limit on that stretch of Lawrenceville Highway is 55 mph.
Aviles was allowed to go home with his mother after being treated for minor injuries, said Spellman.
On Monday, investigators were still trying to figure out how Aviles got the car and was able to drive without a license, permit or any adult supervision. Even if he had a learner's permit, Georgia law requires that a licensed driver who is at least 21 accompany such a driver in the front seat at all times.
"I'm sure once it gets to juvenile court the parents will have to explain that to a judge," said Spellman. She said it's too soon to say whether a parent would face charges.
Phone calls to Aviles' home in Norcross were not returned late Monday.
Police say racing is a recurring problem among some teenage drivers.
Four years ago, Wendy Jennings and Susan Osley, then ages 16 and 17, raced their BMWs down Peachtree Parkway in Norcross. The race ended when Jennings' car veered across the median, flipped and landed on top of an oncoming vehicle. Jennings' 17-year-old boyfriend and a Duluth grandmother were killed in the March 2003 wreck.
A month earlier €" Paul Copeland, 18, and Stephen Carter, 19, were street racing when Copeland's car hit a passing vehicle, killing 17-year-old Matthew Lane. At the time, Lane's father was the supervisor of the Accident Investigation Unit, which investigates motor vehicle fatalities for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
All four of the teenagers are now in prison.
Despite the recent deaths attributed to teen street racing, police do not believe it is a trend in Gwinnett County.
"I know there were some hot spots here in the past," said Spellman. "Once police realize that, they usually clear it out and the problem is displaced."
15-yr-old driver, in Lawrenceville crash, charged with vehicular homicide
Vehicles may have been racing, witnesses say
By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/15/07
There is no wreath of flowers, no cross to mark the place on Lawrenceville Highway where three cars collided and one life ended Sunday.
Only broken glass and a set of thick, black skid marks remain there.
Authorities say a 15-year-old street racing may have been behind the fatal wreck that took the life of a 20-year-old Lawrenceville man.
Witnesses told police that two drivers were racing southbound on Lawrenceville Highway just before dusk on Sunday when they reached a bend in the road near Huston Drive. Jeffrey Kim Aviles, the 15-year-old, lost control of his Toyota Celica, skidded into the center turn lane and struck a Honda Civic head-on, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department. The Celica also sideswiped a sport utility vehicle that was traveling behind the Civic.
The driver of the vehicle that Aviles may have been racing against has not been identified, and authorities have not released a description of that vehicle.
The driver of the Civic, identified as Leonel Vargas of Lawrenceville, died on the scene. Two passengers in the Civic suffered minor injuries. Two girls riding with Aviles, one of whom was pregnant, were seriously injured, police said. The girls, ages 12 and 15, are expected to recover. Authorities have not released information on the condition of the unborn child.
Aviles is facing charges of second-degree vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle without a valid license and failure to maintain a lane. More charges could follow if it is determined that Aviles was racing as witnesses have indicated, said Spellman. Police did not know how fast Aviles or the other vehicle was traveling. The speed limit on that stretch of Lawrenceville Highway is 55 mph.
Aviles was allowed to go home with his mother after being treated for minor injuries, said Spellman.
On Monday, investigators were still trying to figure out how Aviles got the car and was able to drive without a license, permit or any adult supervision. Even if he had a learner's permit, Georgia law requires that a licensed driver who is at least 21 accompany such a driver in the front seat at all times.
"I'm sure once it gets to juvenile court the parents will have to explain that to a judge," said Spellman. She said it's too soon to say whether a parent would face charges.
Phone calls to Aviles' home in Norcross were not returned late Monday.
Police say racing is a recurring problem among some teenage drivers.
Four years ago, Wendy Jennings and Susan Osley, then ages 16 and 17, raced their BMWs down Peachtree Parkway in Norcross. The race ended when Jennings' car veered across the median, flipped and landed on top of an oncoming vehicle. Jennings' 17-year-old boyfriend and a Duluth grandmother were killed in the March 2003 wreck.
A month earlier €" Paul Copeland, 18, and Stephen Carter, 19, were street racing when Copeland's car hit a passing vehicle, killing 17-year-old Matthew Lane. At the time, Lane's father was the supervisor of the Accident Investigation Unit, which investigates motor vehicle fatalities for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
All four of the teenagers are now in prison.
Despite the recent deaths attributed to teen street racing, police do not believe it is a trend in Gwinnett County.
"I know there were some hot spots here in the past," said Spellman. "Once police realize that, they usually clear it out and the problem is displaced."
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. I'll let you know once I start getting ready to move. My appartment lease is up in december, so I'm not in any huge rush to leave 
