One Dead, Four Hurt in Possible Street Racing Crash

A speeding SUV possibly involved in a street race in North Long Beach struck a center divider and flipped several times, ejecting four passengers and killing a 29-year-old man, police said Sunday.

Vernon Onofia was a passenger in the overturned white 2002 Chevy Suburban, and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a press statement emailed by the Long Beach Police Department.

The driver and two other occupants were listed in critical but stable condition at an area hospital. Police department spokesperson Nancy Pratt said witnesses reported seeing the white Suburban possibly racing a dark-colored vehicle eastbound on Del Amo Boulevard, according to the staetment.

The accident occurred at 8:40 p.m. Saturday on Del Amo Boulevard east of Orange Avenue, said Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt. The investigation found that the white Suburban was speeding eastbound on Del Amo Boulevard, when the motorist lost control and hit the center divider, flipping over several times, according to the statement. Four of the six male passengers were ejected, Pratt said.

The other vehicle was described as a four-door, dark-colored newer model Infinity, possibly a G35 with tinted windows and possibly driven by a male black, about 30 to 40 years old. The Infinity driver stopped at the crash but then sped away to the west on Del Amo Boulevard. Police asked anyone with information, or who witnessed the rollover and hasn't spoken with an officer, to contact LBPD Accident Investigation at (562) 570-7355.

--City News Service contributed to this report.