| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Two killed as car traveling nearly 100 mph hits utility pole
Thursday June 19, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) A driver believed to be taking part in a drag race with another motorist lost control of his car early Thursday and struck a utility pole, killing himself and his passenger, police said.
Police said witnesses told them they saw two Honda Acuras, one black and the other beige or tan, racing through an intersection in the San Fernando Valley shortly before the crash.
``Witnesses said the cars were moving at 80 to 90 mph,'' said Officer Grace Brady, a police spokeswoman.
Killed in the black Acura were the driver, Vahe Parsegian, 19, of Los Angeles' Sunland area, and passenger Tadeh Badalian, 17, of Glendale. The car was crushed by the impact.
The driver of the other car fled and has not been located, Brady said.
The cars sped through the intersection shortly after midnight, police said, then traveled about another 400 feet before the black Acura hit a dip in the road and went out of control.
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