A Maryland man accused of participating in a deadly drag race in Montgomery County has been found guilty.
A Maryland man accused of participating in a deadly drag race in Montgomery County has been found guilty.
Noe Daniele Suriel, 29, of Silver Spring, was convicted on Thursday of driving a motor vehicle in a race or speed competition and felony homicide by motor vehicle.
The Montgomery County state attorney’s office said that on September 6, 2019, Suriel, who was driving a Dodge Challenger, and the drivers of two other vehicles were racing on Georgia Avenue.
The race ended when all three cars collided with a Honda Civic that was trying to make a turn towards the Intercounty Connector entrance. The Honda driver, identified as 32-year-old René Antonio Hernández Jr., of Olney, died in the accident.
The investigation revealed that minutes before the crash, a Dodge Challenger driven by Suriel and an Infiniti Q50S driven by Olney’s Camilo Jose Ahumada Serge, 27, were speeding on the road. Two speeding cars were captured in Metrobus footage.
Shortly before the crash, investigators said Regino Andres González Pea, 38, of Gaithersburg, attended the race in his Ford Explorer.
According to police, Suriel’s vehicle first made contact with the rear of Hernandez’s car, which was tilted in front of him. Serge’s Infiniti then hit a Honda Civic, which was then spinning and was driving the Ford Explorer González Pea.
Suriel was the only driver who pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors submitted a video from Metrobus that showed Suriel and Sergey’s vehicles speeding. The video was also taken from the passenger seat of Sarge’s vehicle.
Data from Sarge’s vehicle showed it was speeding at 106 mph five seconds before the accident.
Both Suriel and Sergey face up to 10 years in prison; While González Pea faces up to 18 months.
“This should send a message to anyone who would consider the highly dangerous and potentially lethal act of drag racing at extreme speeds,” said Montgomery County State Attorney John McCarthy. “Any driver participating in a race may be convicted of manslaughter by a motor vehicle, even if the vehicle was involved in a fatal collision,” McCarthy continued.