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Straight-A USC student, 21, is killed by Los Angeles street racer driving Dodge Challenger Hellcat

Straight-A USC student, 21, is killed by Los Angeles street racer driving Dodge Challenger Hellcat 2

A 21-year-old computer science student at USC was fatally struck on a Los Angeles crosswalk by a speeding Dodge Charger Hellcat driver involved in a street race.  

Arian Rahbar was walking along a marked crosswalk on Jefferson Boulevard in broad daylight, at around 3 pm, when he was struck and sent flying into the air on Saturday

The driver, 24-year-old Ricardo Aguilar, had been racing an Infiniti G37 driven by 21-year-old Carlos Valdez Moscoso. 

Both racers were booked on murder chargers, and Aguilar is being held on $2 million bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Los Angeles Police Department Detective Ryan Moreno said that officials have yet to determine how fast the racing cars were going, but that it was ‘definitely above the speed limit.’ 

Both drivers belonged to local car clubs known for street racing, and both of their cars were outfitted for street racing – Moreno told NBC Los Angeles that the Hellcat was ‘pretty souped up. Not including this driver’s alterations, a Dodge Charger Hellcat is worth $76,000. 

Arian Rahbar, 21, was a straight-A student studying computer science at University of Southern California, his father told news outlets. He had landed an internship with Facebook, and had moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams, according to his childhood friend

Arian Rahbar, 21, was a straight-A student studying computer science at University of Southern California, his father told news outlets. He had landed an internship with Facebook, and had moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams, according to his childhood friend

Rahbar was sent airborne by 24-year-old Ricardo Aguilar, who was street-racing in a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, at 3pm on Saturday

Rahbar was sent airborne by 24-year-old Ricardo Aguilar, who was street-racing in a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, at 3pm on Saturday

Both drivers belonged to local car clubs known for street racing, and both of their cars were outfitted for street racing - Moreno told NBC Los Angeles that the Hellcat (pictured) was 'pretty souped up

Both drivers belonged to local car clubs known for street racing, and both of their cars were outfitted for street racing – Moreno told NBC Los Angeles that the Hellcat (pictured) was ‘pretty souped up

He said witnesses heard the two cars revving their engines at a traffic light at the intersection of Jefferson and Western Avenue moments before they sped toward Harvard Boulevard, close to USC’s campus, where Rahbar had picked up takeout before crossing the street.

The young Iranian victim’s father, Sam Rahbar, told the Los Angeles Times was a straight-A student who had just scored an internship with Facebook and ‘never did anything bad to anybody.’

‘Racing on the street – they killed innocent people,’  the grieving father told the outlet. ‘An innocent kid.’

Childhood friend, Eric Gray, told CBS Los Angeles that Rahbar had moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams at college. 

‘He was probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,’ Gray told CBS Los Angeles.

‘He was one of those people that was just so pure — you would think, how could something like this ever happen to somebody like this? I’m angry the situation was even possible to happen.

Rahbar's father told the Los Angeles Times was a straight-A student who had just scored an internship with Facebook and 'never did anything bad to anybody'

Rahbar’s father told the Los Angeles Times was a straight-A student who had just scored an internship with Facebook and ‘never did anything bad to anybody’

Arian Rahbar is pictured left with a friend. He was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle involved in a street race at the intersection of Harvard Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard on Saturday

Arian Rahbar is pictured left with a friend. He was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle involved in a street race at the intersection of Harvard Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard on Saturday

A tent used by the Los Angeles Police Department is pictured at the scene after the fatal accident

A tent used by the Los Angeles Police Department is pictured at the scene after the fatal accident

Pictured is an ambulance that responded to the scene of the crash

Pictured is an ambulance that responded to the scene of the crash

Tracey Dodson, who witnessed the horrific accident with her kids, said that she and her family were traumatized. 

‘I hope they really do something about this though, ’cause this could have happened to me or anybody around here.’

As of November 20, Los Angeles recorded 257 traffic-related fatalities – 22 percent more than the same time in 2020. 

Moreno told the Los Angeles Times that Rahbar was the 101st death this year in his jurisdiction, the department’s South Bureau, which has seen a 25 percent increase of over 25 percent. 

‘We haven’t had numbers like that, ever,’ Moreno said. ‘It’s just so out of control right now.’

‘It’s a problem we’re seeing more and more of, lately,’ Moreno said. 

 Less than 12 hours after Rahbar was killed, two homeless women crossing the street were struck by a drunk Toyota Tacoma pick up on Quay Avenue in the nearby Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington. 

One of those women is hospitalized and fighting for her life, Moreno said, and the other was killed at the scene. 

The driver in that crash, 24-year-old Alvaro Batres-Garcia, was arrested for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.     

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