A street racer has been convicted of manslaughter following an incident that prosecutors described as 'their own Fast and Furious.'
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29-year-old Richard Tolento was convicted on Tuesday for his role in a high-speed crash that claimed the life of a newspaper editor back in July 2020. Authorities are scheduled to sentence him on April 4. Per a report by the New York Post, Eugene Harbrecht, 67, an editor for the Orange County Register, was the victim of a high-speed crash. The incident took place at Bristol Street and Santa Clara Avenue.
Prosecutors allege that Tolento was driving his Infiniti sedan and decided to race against another driver, Louie Robert Villa. Villa was under the influence of alcohol at the time and crashed his BMW 330i into Harbrecht's truck. Authorities described the maneuver that led to the crash as 'slingshotting' around Tolento's car. According to MyNewsLA, a judge sentenced Villa in August 2022 to 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder. The outlet explains that Villa had a previous conviction for DUI, which allowed prosecutors to seek a more severe charge than manslaughter.
Tolento did not crash into Harbrecht's truck but was reportedly driving an average of 77MPH in a 45MPH zone. He allegedly dialed 911 after the impact but got disconnected. Senior Deputy District Attorney Brian Orue explained that the dispatcher called back, and Tolento said he was calling about the crash but didn't say he was involved.
Police Tracked Down The Street Racer Via Dashcam Footage
MyNewsLA explains that Tolento's license plate was visible in dashcam footage recovered by police. Authorities caught up to Tolento roughly 2 hours and 20 mins after the incident. Orue says that Tolento initially lied about his involvement. He allegedly told investigators later what happened when he and Villa stopped at a set of traffic lights. "So I went, and I heard him step on it, so I was like, OK, I'm gonna step on it too. I stepped on it, and I guess he got mad, and I was already driving normal."
Tolento allegedly admitted that when Villa rolled up his windows and looked at him, he took it as a 'racing challenge' although he testified that he was not trying to race.
In Tolento's defense, his attorney, Tom Nocella, allegedly argued that Villa "caused the accident. Mr. Villa crashed." Nocella also explained that his client thought he did his part to report the crash.
However, Orue reportedly showed the jury dashcam footage of both drivers 'immediately taking off' when the lights went green. "For real?... If that's not speeding, what do you call it?" he allegedly exclaimed.
