Street Race Carnage: Teens Killed, Murder Rap

Prosecutors say a 117 mph street race ended two teens’ lives, and the suspect now faces two murder charges.

Story Highlights

District attorney alleges the driver hit 117 mph before impact that split the victims’ car.
California Highway Patrol is reviewing evidence to determine if street racing occurred.
Officials say the suspect fled the scene and later surrendered to authorities.
Charges include two counts of murder and child cruelty, among other offenses.

Prosecutors Detail Deadly Speed And Charges

San Bernardino County prosecutors charged Apple Valley resident Terry Lamar Easter with two counts of murder after a Victorville crash killed two teen girls. The district attorney’s office says Easter drove at speeds reaching 117 miles per hour when his car slammed into the teens’ Acura, which split in half on impact. The district attorney called the conduct deliberate and extremely dangerous, framing it as far beyond a tragic mistake. Prosecutors also filed counts related to a motor vehicle speed contest and child cruelty.

California Highway Patrol investigators said they are reviewing whether the drivers of a yellow Chevrolet Camaro and a black Dodge Charger were engaged in street racing before the crash. A spokesman said investigators are gathering witness statements and evidence to determine whether the legal elements of street racing are met. A witness reported seeing both cars speeding northbound before the collision at Ridgecrest Road and Elmwood Drive on August 14, 2026. Early reports described catastrophic damage at the scene.

What Happened At The Intersection

Reports say two muscle cars traveled at extreme speed on Ridgecrest Road before one struck the teens’ Acura near Elmwood Drive. The impact sheared the Acura, and at least one vehicle caught fire, consistent with a severe, high-speed crash. Two teen girls died at the scene. The crash also injured others, including a child in the suspect’s vehicle, according to outlet summaries. These details match the physical destruction first responders encountered and the speed prosecutors now allege in court filings.

Authorities say Easter fled after the crash, leaving behind his child in the vehicle. Media reports state he was the last outstanding suspect and later turned himself in to authorities, who booked him into custody on the murder case. California Highway Patrol and local outlets tracked the search and the surrender, which followed the initial manhunt and a public call for information. Officials have not publicly released full reconstruction data, but the district attorney’s office placed the top speed at 117 miles per hour.

Why The Charges Are So Severe

California law allows prosecutors to pursue implied-malice second-degree murder when driving conduct is so dangerous that death is a foreseeable outcome. Courts have upheld murder convictions in deadly street racing and extreme reckless driving cases under this doctrine, known as the Watson rule. Prosecutors also commonly charge vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in fatal high-speed crashes, reflecting long-standing state practice in serious roadway deaths tied to reckless acts.

Street racing fatal crashes often occur on urban roads and at very high speeds, which raises the risk to bystanders and families going about their day. A peer-reviewed study found these crashes were far more likely to involve travel speeds of at least 65 miles per hour compared with other fatal wrecks. That pattern fits what officials describe here: extreme speed on a city roadway, severe impact, and two young lives cut short. Prosecutors now aim to hold the driver accountable within that legal framework.

The San Bernardino County DA’s Office has charged Terry Lamar Easter, 50, of Apple Valley, with two counts of murder after an alleged street-racing crash in Victorville killed two teenage best friends, ages 16 and 17.

Easter allegedly reached 117 mph, had his 8-year-old child in… pic.twitter.com/c0MnPKt6S5

— San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office (@sbcountyda) August 28, 2026

Families and neighbors call the Ridgecrest corridor dangerous, and officials have stepped up traffic enforcement in similar hot spots across Southern California. President Trump’s public safety focus has pressed federal and local partners to target violent crime and reckless conduct. But local prosecutors still carry these cases in court, and officers on the ground do the daily work. This case shows why strong, consistent enforcement and real consequences for street racing matter to protect families and the rule of law.