OC Man Arrested In Street Takeover That Killed Woman On Christmas Day

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A man wanted in connection with the death of a 24-year-old nursing student who was killed during a street takeover has been brought into custody, police announced Tuesday, but two other suspects remain at large.

Dante T. Chapple-Young, 28, of Orange County, was arrested Thursday outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he awaits extradition about three weeks after the Dec. 25 collision that took the life of Elyzza Guajaca, police said at a press conference live streamed by NBC LA on Facebook. Chapple-Young is charged with murder, according to police.

The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. in Hyde Park, police said. Guajaca was standing on the sidewalk at Crenshaw Boulevard and Florence Avenue watching a street takeover in which Chapple-Young and two other drivers were performing donuts, according to police. Chapple-Young’s Chevrolet Camaro struck a towtruck and he lost control, veering into the crowd, killing Guajaca and injuring several others, police said.

Chapple-Young, who is from the Anaheim-Santa Ana area, abandoned the Camaro and fled, spending weeks on the run, according to police, who are still working to find the drivers of a gray Infiniti and a white car who were also doing donuts at the time of the crash.

“Do the right thing and just come forward, turn yourself in,” Detective Ryan Moreno said at the press conference. “We will find you. We’ll get you. We’re done messing around with this stuff.”

A GoFundMe created to raise money for Guajaca’s funeral described her as “the rock to our family” and “a good, goofy, funny, outgoing person.” The fundraiser had received more than $37,000 in donations as of Tuesday evening.

Los Angeles authorities are hoping to see changes at the state level that would make street takeovers like the one that killed Guajaca easier to police.

“Street racing has evolved and unfortunately the laws have not evolved with it,” Deputy Chief Donald Graham said at the press conference, noting California’s vehicle code does not have a definition for a street takeover.

Police are also seeking the ability to seize and crush cars involved in such activity. Los Angeles officials have had a warm reception so far from legislators regarding their ideas and a bill was introduced in late 2022, according to Graham.