Too young to drive, they went street-racing anyway, police say. Now two are dead
Javier Hunter's aunt is distraught after she says he asked for her keys late Tuesday night to get something out of her SUV.
By early Wednesday morning, Javier, who was 15, and his 14-year-old passenger were dead. They died street-racing down a southwest Houston road when the SUV careened into a tree, according to a news release from the Houston Police Department.
Hunter's aunt, Ivory Brown, confirmed his identity as one of the two teens that died in the violent collision to local television station KHOU.
"Parents everywhere, double-check your kids when they ask for your keys," Brown told the station. "He's only 15. I usually catch him but I didn't catch him this time, and it cost him his life."
KTRK identified the passenger in the SUV as Savyion Farley, citing family members.
The 14-year-old police say was driving the other SUV in the alleged street race was arrested, detained at a local juvenile probation center and charged with failure to stop and render aid, as well as racing, according to the HPD news release. He has not been identified because he is a minor.
The pair of vehicles was speeding down West Fuqua Street sometime before 2 a.m. Wednesday morning when, police say, one SUV clipped the other. The crash survivor swerved in one direction and hit a street sign, eventually rolling to a stop as a police officer who saw the two cars race by responded.
Brown's SUV, driven by Hunter, swerved in the other direction, went over a curb and slammed into a tree. The force of the collision was so strong, police say, that the tree trunk snapped.
Both occupants of the vehicle died immediately at the scene, according to the Houston Chronicle. The driver who survived the crash ran toward the other car after his came to a stop, but then ran back to the vehicle he had just crashed and tried to flee the scene, police say.
KPRC reported that Brown had raised Hunter since he was a baby and taught him to drive before he was legally of age. His parents live in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Too young to drive, they went street-racing anyway, police say. Now two are dead."