A 19-year-old driver accused of leaving the scene of a deadly crash in Torrance that killed one of his passengers and seriously injured another was charged Thursday with vehicular manslaughter and other counts.
Monte Lashawn Collins of Long Beach was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon on charges stemming from the hit-and-run crash, which occurred about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on Hawthorne Boulevard, south of Del Amo Boulevard.
Collins' front-seat passenger, George Jackson, 20, died as a result of his injuries, authorities said.
Collins is charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and two felony counts of hit-and-run driving resulting in injury to another person, along with five misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage and one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license.
Co-defendant Karin Taylor Dixson, 19, of Los Angeles, is charged with one felony count of being an accessory after the fact. She was a passenger in Collins' 2004 Chevrolet SUV, authorities said.
Collins was speeding and driving recklessly southbound on Hawthorne Boulevard toward the intersection of Del Amo Boulevard when the SUV sideswiped a vehicle, causing the SUV to careen over the center divider and into northbound lanes, Torrance Police Department Sgt. Ronald Harris alleged.
The sergeant said two other vehicles headed north on Hawthorne Boulevard collided with the SUV, which rolled over, ejecting and fatally injuring one of its four occupants, later identified as Jackson. Another passenger who suffered serious injuries was trapped inside the vehicle and freed by bystanders, according to Harris.
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If convicted as charged, Collins could face up to 15 years and four months in state prison, while Dixson could face a maximum three-year sentence, according to the District Attorney's Office.
