Street-Racing Suspect Accused In RivCo Brothers' Deaths Caught

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Perris man accused of taking part in an illegal street race in Riverside County two weeks ago has been caught and arrested in the state of Washington, authorities announced this week. The Mead Valley incident shook the RivCo community, as two boys — just 6 and 8 — were tragically killed as a result of the crash.

Josue Leyvas Gallegos, 30, was taken into custody by U.S. marshals on Friday in Kent, Washington, about 19 miles south of Seattle, while attempting to register a vehicle at a DMV office, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Olivas.

"Gallegos failed to stop and render assistance, and instead, fled the scene before law enforcement officials arrived," Olivas said of the May 15 crash.

Authorities allege an illegal street race involving Gallegos and a second man, Ricardo Zuniga, resulted in the deaths of Dominick Gonzales, 6, and his 8-year-old brother, Antonio "Tony" Gonzales.

The boys were riding in a Nissan Versa with their older brother when the compact car was struck head-on about 5:40 p.m. on Oakwood Street, east of Brown Street, by a Honda Accord driven by Zuniga, who was allegedly racing with Gallegos, who was driving a 2002 Nissan Altima, according to authorities.

The Accord was traveling east in the westbound lanes, Olivas said, and crested a hill before slamming head-on into the Versa. Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location within a few minutes and rushed the children to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where they died less than an hour later.

Their brother was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. Family members said Luis Gonzales was taking his younger brothers with him to retrieve their sisters from an after-school program when the collision happened.

A GoFundMe page raise funds to cover funeral expenses for the boys described them as "full of life."

"They loved each other so much that no matter how heartbreaking it was for us (who) stayed behind, but they couldn't live without each other, and both left us with voids in our hearts," relatives who set up the page wrote.

Donations can be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/dominickampantonios- funeral-expense.

As for Zuniga, he was hospitalized with moderate injuries and has been charged with two counts of murder. He is due back in court on June 27 for a settlement conference.

The CHP tracked Gallegos down by working several other agencies.

"Through this intensive search, the CHP, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, Team 6, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, and with the assistance of the public, were able to identify, locate, and capture Gallegos," Olivas said.

Two counts each of vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene of a crime were filed against Gallegos on Friday. The Altima has not been found.

Anyone who has information about the collision, including photographs and cellphone video, is asked to contact the Riverside CHP's Accident Investigation Unit at (951) 637-8000.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Image via GoFundMe / GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.