Originally Posted by kwflatbed

WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Woonsocket police said a 24-year-old man, who was killed early Sunday morning after he crashed his car into a utility pole, was at a popular hangout for street racing before he died.

NBC 10's Brian Crandall reported police went to a local industrial park to break up a local street racing scene when two cars then took off.

Police said the cars had their headlights off and were driving on the wrong side of the road, almost hitting an officer.

Police said one of the cars then crashed on Mendon Road. The driver was Jason Ayala, of Woonsocket.

Investigators said they don't know if Ayala had been street racing earlier or if he was just at the industrial park to watch.

"They could have just been trying to leave or they were just scared," said Lt. Timothy Paul of the Woonsocket Police Department. "Mr. Ayala did have a suspended license at the time of the crash, so he could have been trying to escape that charge. It’s unsure why those two vehicles left so quickly."

Police said between 50 and 100 cars had been at the street-racing event.

"We interviewed several people who were there that night," Paul said. "Evidently, this is one of the areas throughout the state that they frequent for street racing."

Ayala’s mother Daisy Castro said she wants answers.

"Everybody loved Jason," she said. "He was never in trouble. No drugs. No alcohol. Nothing like that."

Castro said she thinks that the police were chasing her son leading up to the crash.

Police said they did have their lights and sirens on.

"This was an attempt to catch up to the vehicles that had fled from the scene nearly striking a police officer," Paul said. "It was not a police chase. In fact, the officer at times lost sight of him."

Police are still searching for the other car that left the industrial park.

http://www.turnto10.com/northeast/ja...4-09-0025.html