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Man Killed In SoCal Illegal Soapbox Street Race

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Mar 9, 2008 11:58 pm US/Pacific

Man Killed In SoCal Illegal Soapbox Street Race

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― A 22-year-old man died Sunday after the homemade soapbox car he was racing down a street spun out of control and crashed into a parked sports utility vehicle, police said.

Michael Joseph Garcia was one of 36 contestants riding in the race when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the back of the Lexus SUV, Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman said.

He sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at Tarzana Medical Center, Eisenman said.

The race was held around 7 a.m. on a sloping San Fernando Valley road. Eisenman said soapbox cars could top speeds of 60 mph on the mile-long decline. The street was not closed to traffic but few cars were on the road at the time.

Garcia was racing in an event held by the San Fernando Valley Illegal Soapbox Federation, whose participants build soapbox cars and meet periodically to race, group organizer Paul DeValera said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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