Man charged in drag racing death (Austin TX)

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF ^ | Friday, January 23, 2004 | By Andrea Ball

[Arrowhead1952]

New law levies harsher penalties for illegal racing

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By Andrea Ball

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Friday, January 23, 2004

An Austin man accused of instigating a drag race in which his co-worker was killed is facing criminal charges under a new state law that levies harsher penalties for illegal racing.

Richard Carrasquillo, 22, was charged Wednesday with racing on a highway. He is accused of starting a street race Saturday during which 19-year-old Alexander Vasquez crashed into a utility pole.

This is the first time the Austin Police Department has filed felony racing charges since the law was enacted Sept. 1. The law makes racing a Class B misdemeanor or a second-degree felony, depending on the circumstances. Offenders may lose their licenses, pay fines and spend up to 20 years in prison.

"This is a tremendous bill because it give us the opportunity to stop these idiots from hurting or killing the people we love," Assistant Chief Rudy Landeros said.

Police say Carrasquillo instigated the race about 6:30 a.m. when he saw Vasquez pulling out of a parking lot in the 2100 block of West Slaughter Lane.

According to court documents, Carrasquillo drove his 1990 Honda in front of Vasquez's vehicle and refused to let him pass.

The road was wet from rain, but the pair -- who worked together at a pawn shop -- sped off at more than 60 mph, documents state. Vasquez lost control of his vehicle in the 900 block of West Slaughter, slid off the road and hit a utility pole. He died at the scene.

Carrasquillo was arrested and held in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Before Sept. 1, drag racers could be charged only with vehicular racing, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a citation and a fine. But last summer, after hearing complaints about racing from law enforcement officers across the state, Texas legislators passed the new law.

It is designed to protect bystanders who can be injured by the reckless driving, said state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio.

"The people who were dying were innocent people whose cars were rammed into, whose vehicles were T-boned at intersections," said Fischer, who wrote the legislation.

Police say drag racing is a big problem in Austin. Car clubs often gather on the weekends, resulting in high-speed racing on highways and through neighborhoods, Landeros said.

In 2003, police issued 243 citations for racing. Most of those tickets went to people 18 to 26 years old. About 93 percent of those cited were men; 46 percent were white, and 40 percent were Hispanic.

That same year, 18 people were injured in race-related crashes. One death is believed to be related to racing.

The high-speed contests have been seen all over the city, Landeros said.

One person was clocked going more than 90 mph on the Congress Avenue bridge. Others have been seen speeding on Riverside Drive between Congress and Interstate 35. On U.S. 183, cars face off on straight stretches of highway while friends in other cars slow down traffic behind them, Landeros said.

"This affects everyone in Austin," he said. "Everyone."

[Arrowhead1952]

One person was clocked going more than 90 mph on the Congress Avenue bridge. Others have been seen speeding on Riverside Drive between Congress and Interstate 35. On U.S. 183, cars face off on straight stretches of highway while friends in other cars slow down traffic behind them, Landeros said.

I can vouch for the racing on U. S. 183. I drive parts of it every day, and see it first hand.

[Tall_Texan]

The law makes racing a Class B misdemeanor or a second-degree felony, depending on the circumstances.

Sounds more like "depending on the results".

BTW, I'm not planning to sign up for the Statesman. It may be free but they insisted on too many personal questions to register and it took me years to get them to *stop* calling me so I'm not going to give them any new ammo.

[highnoon]

Good move not getting the Statesman. I get it every Sunday just to keep up with the Horns and read some liberal swill. One week, not too long ago, I counted 13 articles in the 'A' section alone that had been written by the NYT.

[hopespringseternal]

Some idiot in a Lexus tried to race me this morning. I let off as planned about 45mph, he blows past me up to about 80 through 45 mph traffic on rain slick streets (it was misty). I never gave it much throttle (in a vette with wet streets I couldn't) yet the fool thought he was the man for staying with me.

The lousy thing is that some idiot like that can smear his brain all over an abuttment and you can be charged for "racing" him when you had no such intention.

[Arrowhead1952]

Some idiot in a Lexus tried to race me this morning. I let off as planned about 45mph, he blows past me up to about 80 through 45 mph traffic on rain slick streets (it was misty).

Do you live in Austin? We have plenty of idiots on 183 and Loop 1 who think they are going to a fire. I can drive the exact speed posted, and never pas a single vehicle most of the time.

[hopespringseternal]

Houston. Most of the idiots in Houston are on Westheimer (long straight street on the West side of town, complete with streetlights and plenty of opportunities for T-boning a minivan.) These aren't just speeders, these are 100+mph drag/road races through red lights.

HPD's response was typically moronic. A few unmarked interceptors could have made all the difference in the world, but instead they tried mass arrests of loitering people. Except many of them weren't loitering. They nabbed a few taxpayers stopping for a quick bite to eat on the way home from the movie, etc.

I drive down I-10 which is almost always too crowded to even get to the speed limit.

[Arrowhead1952]

.....These aren't just speeders, these are 100+mph drag/road races through red lights.

HPD's response was typically moronic. A few unmarked interceptors could have made all the difference in the world, but instead they tried mass arrests of loitering people.....

For a while, APD here put empty police cars at areas where people were speeding. That slowed down traffic, but also caused traffic jams. People started complaining about the empty cars.

I drive FM 1431 every day. That road has a three - four mile stretch that might have followed a snake trail. Nothing but curves, and there have been several fatalities in that area the past year. Most are on days with mist falling. There are Cedar Park police and sheriffs there every day now.

[Eaker]

I drive down I-10 which is almost always too crowded to even get to the speed limit.

I stare at I-10 all day long and there are traffic jams at the weirdest times of day.

[thackney]

I stare at I-10 all day long

No wonder you guys don't have any jobs. GET BACK TOO WORK!!

[evets]

This one is fun to watch during ice storms. I-35 Waco

[Orange1998]

I was just on a Jury where a 16 year old was racing through a red light killing the other driver. The DA was going for 20 years.

[LibWhacker]

There is what amounts to a perpetual speed trap on a busy street near where I live. Whenever the maniacs driving around out there begin getting under my skin, I keep telling myself I'm gonna instigate races right up the street from the trap, then slow down just before my car gets to the trap. Let the other sucker take the ticket. But I don't have the nerve, lol.