LAPD Still Searching for Suspect Who Killed Young Nursing Student in Street Takeover

Police tape in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The search continues for the driver who killed 24-year-old nursing student, Elyzza Guajaca, while doing donuts in a street takeover in South Los Angeles on Christmas Day.

Guajaca was struck by a black Chevrolet Camaro while standing with a group of people on the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Florence Avenue. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) the suspect fled on foot.

Authorities are offering a $50,000 award for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.

Guajaca, a Wilmington resident, died at a local hospital. Her brother, Louie Guajaca is raising funds for her funeral.

“My sister was an aunty to my beautiful girls who loved her so much. She was a beautiful sister who loved big. She was a daughter who always wanted to be with us and always around and have family time. She was the rock to our family,” he wrote Dec. 27 on a GoFundMe page in her honor. “She was just a good, goofy, funny, outgoing person. She loved all her close friends and family!”

In the last few days, police have identified several more victims and have released videos of the incident in hopes people will come forward with new information on the suspect.

One videos shows a young man being beaten as some throw punches and kicked him.

“These guys think it’s funny ... it’s a really sick culture,” LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno said during a press conference Dec. 28. “It’s really dangerous. They’re putting the whole public in danger—they’re really hurting the community with this [car culture mentality].”

Elyzza Guajaca was studying nursing and worked at the Los Angeles International Airport. Her family said the first “Fast and Furious” movie sparked her love for car culture, according to media reports.

But not all car culture is good, Lili Trujillo-Puckett, founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Street Racing Kills told The Epoch Times.

“The bad car culture was created from the pandemic and they just started doing stuff that was dangerous and it became popular,” she said.

Just this year, the LAPD has issued 321 arrests for street racing and takeover crimes, according to a November report.

“These young men and women, they got all this free money from Uncle Sam, and they used it to support their cars,” Trujillo-Puckett said of the stimulus checks that came during the height of the pandemic.

Trujillo lost her 16-year-old daughter Valentina in 2013 to a street racing crash, which sparked her to establish her nonprofit that advocates for victim families’ of those killed in street racing or street takeovers.

Anyone with any information on Sunday night’s crash is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Tipsters may also visit lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip.

City News Service contributed to this report.