Street racer 'who killed three including Tony Baker's son' appears in court in a wheelchair
A 19-year-old suspected street racer appeared in Los Angeles court on Wednesday in connection with a deadly crash that killed three people, including the son of comedian Tony Baker.
Hamlet Arseni Aghajanyan was brought into the Los Angeles Superior Court handcuffed to a wheelchair for a preliminary setting hearing.
During his arraignment in August, Aghajanyan pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of reckless driving.
Hamlet Arseni Aghajanyan appears in Los Angeles Superior Court in a wheelchair before Judge Michael D. Carter on Wednesday
Aghajanyan, 19, is charged with murder and reckless driving in connection with the death of three people in a fiery crash in Burbank on August 3
Aghajanyan was allegedly street-racing with a younger teen at the time of the crash. Wednesday's hearing was to set a date for a preliminary hearing
Aghajanyan suffered multiple injuries in the crash that required several surgeries
According to prosecutors, on August 3, Aghajanyan and a 17-year-old boy were street-racing in Burbank when they smashed into a Volkswagen, killing Jaiden Kishon Johnson, 20, Natalee Asal Moghaddam, 19, and Cerain Baker, 21.
Baker was the son of comedian and actor Tony Baker. A fourth passenger who was riding in the Volkswagen survived and was hospitalized in critical condition.
Officials said Aghajanyan was behind the wheel of a Kia that was racing alongside a Mercedes-Benz when the two vehicles collided with the victims' car as it was making a left turn at an intersection shortly before midnight.
The impact tore the Volkswagen in half, causing three of its occupants to be thrown onto the roadway.
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ShareThe silver Kia that was carrying the victims was torn in half, ejecting its occupants onto the roadway
Cerain Baker (pictured), the 21-year-old son of actor Tony Baker, was killed in the crash
Jaiden Johnson, 20, of Burbank (pictured left) and Natalee Moghaddam, 19, of Calabasas (pictured right) were also pronounced dead at the scene
'It feels like it's not real - we get waves of grief,' Baker, an actor who was in the movie 'Whiplash' and starred in a number of TV series, like 'A Black Lady Sketch Show,' told NBC 4 Los Angeles about his son Cerain. 'We sob uncontrollably. Then it's back to regular conversation.'
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said later the three people killed had died of 'multiple blunt-force injuries.'
'It feels like it's not real - we get waves of grief,' Baker, an actor who was in the movie 'Whiplash' and starred in a number of TV series, like 'A Black Lady Sketch Show,' told NBC 4 Los Angeles about his son Cerain. 'We sob uncontrollably. Then it's back to regular conversation.'
Aghajanyan's Kia burst into flames, inflicting injuries upon him that required several weeks of hospitalization and multiple surgeries.
The underage driver of the Mercedes Benz was unharmed. He has been detained at a juvenile facility, facing the same charges as Aghajanyan.
Aghajanyan's attorney George Mgdesyan previously said his client feels remorseful about the accident, reported ABC7.
'He feels very bad for what's happened,' Mgdesyan said.
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