A 19-year-old Bakersfield woman was killed Wednesday when her vehicle was struck by a car involved in an illegal street race, police said.
The driver of a Ford Mustang was racing a motorcyclist around 6:20 p.m. when the Mustang crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into another vehicle, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement.
The Mustang became engulfed in flames and the motorcyclist fled.
The woman driving the vehicle that was struck died at the scene. The coroner’s office identified her as Bianca Danielle Flores, 19, of Arvin. Her passenger, a woman, was hospitalized with moderate injuries. A woman in another vehicle had minor injuries.
Suspected Racer Facing Murder Charge
The Mustang driver, Iqbal Singh, 35, was arrested on suspicion of murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, engaging in a motor vehicle speed contest and reckless driving with great bodily injury, police said.
Singh suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital. Police said Singh would be booked into the Kern County Jail when he is released from the hospital.
It was not immediately known if Singh had a lawyer to comment on his behalf. Singh was not listed Thursday in the county jail’s online inmate locater.
