Man arrested after street racing crash leaves innocent driver dead in Gwinnett

A 27-year-old man has been charged with vehicular homicide after a crash while street racing left a 50-year-old man dead, Gwinnett County police said.

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

A 27-year-old man has been charged with vehicular homicide after a crash while street racing left a 50-year-old man dead, Gwinnett County police said.

A Georgia man was recently arrested after Gwinnett County police say he killed another man while street racing in late July.

Javier Ramirez, 27, of Hoschton, was driving an illegally modified truck as he raced another vehicle that was driven by a minor along Braselton Highway around 10:30 p.m. July 31, police said. At some point, a vehicle driven by Jeffrey Smith, 50, of Buford, pulled onto the road from a private driveway, and Ramirez struck the vehicle, authorities said.

Channel 2 Action News reported Ramirez was driving more than 80 mph at the time of the crash in Dacula.

Ramirez was arrested last week, according to Channel 2, and faces several charges, including first-degree vehicular homicide, racing and reckless driving, online court records show.

Smith’s family spoke with Channel 2, saying he left behind 10- and 12-year-old daughters.

“He certainly was a devoted father to two girls,” his aunt, Rosemary Mangum, told the news station. “They were extremely close, as close as any father could be with his children.”