As street racing’s popularity grows in California, so are the number of people driving under the influence, at least in some cities.
Of eight different types of reported vehicle-related crimes in Inglewood, driving under the influence made up the most — 12 DUI arrests, or 39% of the 31 vehicular-related arrests in Inglewood for the month of August, according to a UT Community News analysis of data obtained from the Inglewood Police Department.
Suspended driver licenses and stolen vehicles tied for second place and unlicensed drivers for third. Among the lowest car crimes were speeding, hijacking, hit-and-run and reckless driving. This affects Inglewood residents and their families deeply.
For instance, Maria Pineda, 63, said a horrible hit-and-run killed her son, Jose Pineda, 41, on Dec. 6, 2020, when he was riding his motorcycle near 108th Street.
Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, her husband died a year after her son.
“He was the lifeline of the family,” she said. Even while mourning her husband and son, Pineda said she continues to fight for answers for the tragedy that left her five grandchildren without a father.
She said she hit dead ends with the Inglewood Police Department, so she went to city hall to request help. But she said that since English is not her first language, that created some barriers for communicating.
As she got close to losing hope, she was thankful to hear that Inglewood’s Mayor James Butts, Jr. offered a $25,000 crime victim fund Oct. 5, 2023.
The tip reward would be given to anyone with solid information on her son’s death, like being able to identify vehicles or individuals involved. Law enforcement agencies have commonly used this practice in efforts to crack crimes.
Still, Pineda said she feels enough isn’t being done and now, it’s three years later and the Inglewood Police Department said it has no leads.
Pineda said they still have the same information her neighbor provided to the Inglewood police department and she hasn’t been given any updates.
“I feel like my voice is not heard,” said Pineda.
But she said she won’t give up. Three years later, Pineda marched in Inglewood for answers and justice, holding a poster with a photo of her son.
There has been a decrease in takeover and racing reports last year in some neighborhoods compared to 2021 but some of the top locations reporting calls are from South Los Angeles, according to a June 2023 report by the Board of Police Commissioners.
What’s more, a report by the California Office of Traffic Safety, found that traffic-related deaths disproportionately impact Black and Latino residents. In California, there were 1,159 people killed in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2020, a 20% increase from 966 in 2019.
The streets are filled with survivors and supporters. Lili Trujillo Puckett is both.
This is why she gave a hand to Pineda. Her journey is to help bring awareness to people about traffic safety. She still tries to find time to cope in an environment without her daughter.
Trujillo Puckett founded a nonprofit, Street Racing Kills, in 2014 after her 16-year old daughter, Valentina, was killed by a young man who was street racing and crashed while giving her a ride home.
“My daughter Valentina DaLessandro…was killed by a young man” who was almost 18, she said. “He was street racing against a co-worker and crashed, killing Val. The other two teen girls survived” as did the driver.
“Val was in the back seat sleeping,“ Puckett said. Alcohol played a role in the accident that took her daughter’s life, she added.
She believed there were so many things she could have done but didn’t because of the lack of support.
“There was only one person convicted. The other person he raced was never looked for. I waited too late to seek full justice for my daughter,” said Puckett.
This is why she fights to help others. Street Racing Kills is an organization that helps families like Maria Pineda.
The offender was “sentenced in Inglewood as a juvenile to one year but served 7 months,” she said. A representative of the Inglewood Police Department said it can’t verify or provide information on these incidents, unless it’s to someone directly involved.
Lori Argumedo, a community relations director and security manager at Northrop Grumman similarly lost her niece and nephew, which is why she joined Street Racing Kills as a volunteer.
Her niece was 23 and nephew was 20 when they died May 11, 2019, in a car crash in Compton caused by someone street racing.
“Unfortunately, this continues to happen. Reckless driving is out of control. There are too many takeovers. Street racing is horrible,” Argumendo said, adding it’s 100% preventable. “I’m helping families go through the process of court and funerals. It’s just very hard and so we’re here for the family.”
She and others with Street Racing Kills spend a lot of time and energy outside of work to prevent such tragedies from happening to other families, pushing for
