LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A man suspected of driving a Ford Mustang that careened into a crowd of spectators during a Chatsworth street race, killing two people and seriously injuring a third, has surrendered to authorities.
Karen Balyan, 44, accompanied by his attorney, surrendered in court around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 12, according to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Bill Bustos.
Balyan, who was wanted on a felony warrant on two counts of murder, was being held on $3 million bail, Bustos said.
He was the third person arrested and charged in connection with the race that occurred around 2:05 a.m. Feb. 26 in the 21400 block of Plummer Street near Canoga Avenue. Police said the driver of a Ford Mustang involved in the race lost control and plowed into a crowd of spectators, killing Eric Siguenza, 26, of Los Angeles, and Wilson Thomas Wong, 50, of Torrance. A third person was seriously injured.
On Feb. 28, Henry Gevorgyan, 22, of Van Nuys, surrendered to authorities in the company of his attorney, with bail set at $2 million. He was released on Friday.
On March 3, Irael Valenzuela, 39, of Los Angeles, was arrested and bail was set at $2 million. He was released on bail March 11.
Valenzuela and Gevorgyan were both charged with two counts of murder and one count of engaging in a speed contest on a highway causing a concussion.
Bustos declined to specify what role each of the three suspects allegedly played in the race, however, a notice of an arrest warrant circulated by the LAPD stated that Balyan had been identified as the driver of the Mustang.
A lawsuit filed by Siguenza’s parents last month alleged that Valenzuela was behind the wheel of a Nissan that was racing the Mustang, while Gevorgyan acted as the starter of the race.
Los Angeles police had initially said they believed Gevorgyan was driving the Mustang, which he owns. But his attorney, Kate Hardie, said her client was not driving the Mustang, and said video showed him standing on the street between the two vehicles at the starting line.