Suspected Street Racer Charged With Murder for Hawthorne Crash

A suspected street racer was charged Tuesday with murder and vehicular manslaughter for a crash that killed a man in Hawthorne last week.

Alfredo Perez Davila, 23, of Hawthorne, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from a crash that occurred just before 1 p.m. last Friday.

Davila was allegedly racing his Chevrolet Cobalt against a Chevrolet Camaro traveling northbound on Crenshaw Boulevard near 135th Street when he lost control of his car.

The Cobalt swerved across all of the traffic lanes before slamming into the center median, according to Hawthorne police Lt. To Goetz. He said the force of the crash sent the Cobalt flying airborne, and it eventually landed on a Honda heading southbound on Crenshaw.

The Honda CRV’s driver, Benjamin Golbin, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Davila was treated for his injuries and then taken to the Hawthorne police station, where he was interviewed and then booked on suspicion of murder.

The driver of the Camaro fled the scene, according to Hawthorne police, who have posted surveillance video of the crash on the department’s Facebook page in hopes of tracking down that driver.

Davila was being held in lieu of $1 million bail while awaiting his next court appearance Feb. 8 at the Airport Branch Courthouse.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock