HOT LINE: 415 240 34 82
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — His attorney told him not to speak with police, but car culture enthusiast Karim Reyad felt confident enough to give a statement following a crash last month in which his 2019 Dodge Charger Hellcat allegedly traveled 108 mph before slamming into another vehicle, killing a Bakersfield grandmother.
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Reyad told police. “I’m not worried about anything, you know?”
Reyad spoke with a detective three days after the April 28 collision in southwest Bakersfield that killed Gayla Sue Price, 66 , according to newly-released court documents. Price died at the scene.
Reyad was interviewed at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was being treated for multiple injuries including a broken arm. An investigator told him his leg may have to be amputated.
“Well, I’ve been (expletive) up way worse before,” Reyad responded according to the documents. He lost his left arm from the elbow down when a mini bike he rode crashed in March of last year.
“No way,” he responded when told data retrieved from his car — which he bought about two weeks earlier — showed it had been traveling 108 mph just 1.1 seconds before the crash, documents said. He estimated he was traveling 50 mph, documents said.
Reyad, 18, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and reckless driving, among other charges, and is being held without bail. He’s due back in court June 2 and faces a life term in prison if convicted as charged.
One of the other charges against him is driving under the influence of a drug and causing injury. Reyad said he smoked marijuana more than a day before the crash, reports said.
According to the documents, Reyad on April 15 was found passed out behind the wheel at the intersection of Chamber Boulevard and Buena Vista Road and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Reyad told police he had taken prescription medication and smoked marijuana.
And on April 12, the day he bought the Charger, an officer cited Reyad for “exhibition of speed” after seeing the Charger’s tires lose traction as it made an unsafe turn north onto Buena Vista Road, reports say.
Reyad told police he had replaced the car’s tires twice from doing burnouts. He said he’s not involved with street racing because it’s dangerous, document said.
This article will be updated.
