BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A motorist hit speeds of more than 100 mph and was under the influence of a drug when he veered into opposite lanes and slammed into a vehicle, killing a 66-year-old woman, according to a court document.
Karim Reyad’s 2019 Charger Hellcat traveled 108 mph about a second before colliding with a Honda Civic driven by grandmother Gayla Sue Price, according to a probable cause declaration. Price was declared dead at the scene of the April 25 crash.
Reyad, 18, pleaded not guilty Monday to second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, among other charges. He was arrested last week in Loma Linda and is being held without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled June 5.
Prosecutor Tara Deal, who attended Reyad’s arraignment, told the court he lost an arm a year ago in another crash he caused, and has had numerous warnings about his reckless driving and impairment.
“I wasn’t responsible for it,” Reyad interrupted and was shushed by deputies. He shook his head and smirked at times while the prosecutor spoke.
Court Commissioner Roger H. Ponce Jr. cautioned Reyad to keep quiet and let his attorney speak for him.
Deal said Reyad has a prior arrested on suspicion of DUI. She called him “an extreme danger to the community.”
After hearing attorneys’ remarks, Ponce ordered Reyad to remain in custody without bail.
The crash happened in the 10800 block of Campus Park Drive, which has a posted speed limit of 50 mph. Two passengers in Reyad’s vehicle were injured, police said.
Reyad was traveling east when “for no apparent reason” he entered the westbound lanes, according to the declaration. It says his blood was drawn and tested positive for THC — the main active ingredient in marijuana.
