Fresno Mother Whose Daughter Was Killed By Street Racer Pushes for Stricter Laws

The mother of one of the victims who died in a

Full force of the law: Dana Xiong, mother of 17-year-old victim Allison Chang, shared a petition on Change.org detailing how the loss of life could have been avoided if officers enforced stricter penalties against offenders.

Citing California Vehicle Code Section 23109(A), the petition pointed out how participating in a speed contest is a crime.
Possible penalties include imprisonment of up to 90 days in county jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Officers can also impound vehicles for up to 30 days.
The petition lamented that one of the drivers involved in the race was only given a citation for street racing.
It tagged California Governor Gavin Newsom, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama, among others.
“Tell Fresno to enforce California Street Racing Laws by imposing the maximum penalties allowed and specifically to start impounding those vehicles,” the petition stated. “Let’s work together to bring about change and safety for the streets of Fresno while honoring the lives of Allie, Linda, Christopher, and the many others whose lives have been taken due to Street-Racing. Let’s honor them in a profound and positive manner.”

Tragic night: On Dec. 26, at around 11:40 p.m., a street racer in a black Mustang ran a red light and crashed into a white pickup truck and a Mini Cooper on Bullard and Palm avenues, NextShark reported.

Based on the investigation, motorcycle officers were attempting to pull over a Mustang and a Camaro racing down Blackstone Avenue at 75 miles per hour.
The driver of the Camaro pulled over, while Mustang driver Irvin Villarreal sped off, eventually colliding with the vehicles of the victims.
Villarreal died on impact, injuring three and killing three others: Xiong’s daughter Chang, 21-year-old Linda Chang and 27-year-old Christopher Vang.

Feature Image via Dana Xiong

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