The man believed to be behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz that plowed into an Uber in South Los Angeles over the weekend, killing two Orange County sisters and their lifelong friend, was on probation tied to a 2020 murder case in Compton, according to court records.
Gregory James Black, Jr. was arrested quickly after the early morning, two-car crash at Vermont Avenue and Century Boulevard on Saturday, Aug. 26.
Black, 31, of Los Angeles, was still inside the Mercedes after allegedly T-boning the Honda sedan operating as an Uber. LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno said Wednesday, Aug. 30 that the Mercedes hit the Honda with enough force to send the sedan spinning “five times, counterclockwise,” before slamming into a wall.
The three women — sisters Kimberly Izquierdo, 27, and Veronica Amezola, 23, both of Santa Ana, and their friend, Juvelyn Arroyo, 23, of San Juan Capistrano — all were sitting in the rear passenger seat. All died at the scene, Moreno said. A male passenger suffered bruising to his leg and other injuries to his chest and arms, and was still recovering, police said. The driver, a woman, was left with a fractured neck, ribs and massive head trauma.
Black was also injured in the crash, and was arrested after he was discharged from the hospital, Moreno said. He was arraigned Tuesday on three charges of vehicular manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty, court records showed.
Moreno said he obtained video of Black’s car before the crash showing the driver speeding north along Vermont, running red lights. He described the driver as “playing roulette” as he careened down the road past other cars, likely speeding over 100 miles per hour. He said the extreme speed led to a horrifically violent crash.
“That scene was just horrible,” said Moreno. “Just seeing all the casualties — it looked like a bomb went off.”
Moreno described Black as “a well-known gang member” with a long criminal history. He said Black was still on probation at the…
Read the full article here