A suspected street racer accused of reaching 117 mph crashed into a vehicle carrying two teenage girls, killing both before allegedly running from the scene, prosecutors said.
Terry Lamar Easter, 50, of Apple Valley, was charged Friday with two counts of murder in connection with the Aug. 14 crash in Victorville that killed Sultana High School seniors Maddalyn Dailey and Isabell Hill, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities allege Easter was behind the wheel of a yellow Chevrolet Camaro, speeding alongside a black Dodge Charger near Ridgecrest Road and Elmwood Drive, when the Camaro struck an Acura carrying the two teens.
The collision was devastating, with prosecutors saying the force of the impact split the Acura in two.
After the wreck, Easter allegedly fled the crash site, leaving his 8-year-old child behind inside his vehicle.
“This was not an accident. Street racing at 117 mph is a deliberate and extraordinarily dangerous choice that ended the lives of two young best friends, exposing his own 8-year-old child to that danger, and abandoning his child after the crash to flee the scene,” District Attorney Jason Anderson said.
MORE STORY: Southern California Hits U.S. Humidity Record in Brutal Heatwave
In addition to the murder charges, Easter faces counts of willful cruelty to a child and engaging in a motor vehicle speed contest.
A $1 million arrest warrant had been issued for Easter, who is also known by the name “Capone.”
The California Highway Patrol described him as 5 feet 6 inches tall with black hair and hazel eyes and warned that detectives believed he was armed and dangerous.
The other driver involved in the crash remained at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Easter’s associate, Ryan Lewis, and Lewis’ mother, Madge Wells, were also wanted in connection with the crash. Both have since been apprehended.
Easter is scheduled to appear Monday at the Victorville Superior Courthouse.
