Driver in Porter Ranch car crash that killed two teens will face charges, police say
A car has slowed down outside a business on Broadway in Porter Ranch during a police investigation into a fatal traffic crash on May 25, 2017, in Porter Ranch. A car has slowed down outside a business on Broadway in Porter Ranch during a police investigation into a fatal traffic crash on May 25, 2017, in Porter Ranch. Photo: Melissa Phillip, Getty Images Photo: Melissa Phillip, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Driver in Porter Ranch car crash that killed two teens will face charges, police say 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
The driver of the vehicle involved in a fatal traffic crash in Porter Ranch has been charged with murder. The driver allegedly hit and killed two girls driving in the area.
The Kern County District Attorney’s office said Monday that 30-year-old Brandon Michael Smith of Santa Clarita is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of two girls, ages 16 and 18 — one shot in the head, the other in the chest.
Smith was also charged with one count of child endangerment in the deaths of the two girls. The district attorney’s office said Monday that Smith’s blood was found on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
All of the occupants in the vehicle are believed to be from the Porter Ranch neighborhood, according to the district attorney’s office.
Court records show that Smith lived in the neighborhood, and that a witness reported seeing the car driving “erratically” on Saturday and Sunday night. The driver was described as having “multiple injuries,” court records show. However, investigators believe the vehicle’s injuries were caused by carjacking, not the driver’s own negligence.
The girls and Smith were heading to their grandmother’s house in Cajon Pass from a concert, according to the district attorney’s office.
Two people were taken by ambulance to UC Irvine Medical Center for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and then transferred to Kern Medical Center