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A young woman from Southern California finds herself at the center of a serious legal storm, facing charges connected to multiple deadly incidents on the road. The 24-year-old, Ahkeyajahnique Owens, has been identified as a suspect in a tragic hit-and-run accident that occurred last Sunday. This incident resulted in the deaths of two individuals and adds to her legal troubles, as she was already facing charges related to a fatal accident last October.
Reports from Los Angeles news outlets reveal that Owens was recently charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection with an October incident in downtown Long Beach. In that case, she is accused of fatally striking a bicyclist. Fast forward to January 4, around 10:00 p.m., prosecutors allege that Owens collided with a 2022 Nissan Altima in the same vicinity, leading to the deaths of two passengers who were ejected from the vehicle.
The chaos didn’t stop there. Owens’s 2021 BMW 330i reportedly also crashed into a black 2017 Kia Soul, resulting in injuries to three additional people, as detailed by police investigators in a report from the Los Angeles Times.
The Long Beach Post News highlighted that, in both the October and January incidents, Owens was allegedly driving at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, a factor that could weigh heavily in the court’s assessment of the cases.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, police noted that Owens was not present at the scene of Sunday’s fatal accident when emergency responders arrived. As the legal proceedings unfold, the community watches closely, grappling with the impacts of these tragic events.
Owens reportedly turned herself in to Long Beach police this week on the previous October crash when she found out she was a suspect. She has pleaded not guilty in that case and has been booked on a $200,000 bond.
A separate case is expected to be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in the coming days on the January 4 accident, the Times reported.
Bicyclist Raul Augustin Gallopa, 35, died days after the crash from his injuries. In the latest crash, police identified the fatal victims as 21-year-old Gilberto Lopez of Midway City and 24-year-old Bobbi Smith of Buena Park.
Smith’s cousin Jazmini Adams Smith told Fox 11:
This individual was involved in another incident in October, whom also killed someone. And so, you know, we just don’t understand, and we are very hurt that this person was out and was able to hurt someone else, our family member, and not only our family members, other victims as well. And so we want justice served.
Traffic investigators told the Times that forensic evidence and video footage helped identify Owens as the suspect in the most recent crash.
So far, police and prosecutors have not indicated whether street racing was underway at the time of the latest crash.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
