CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina judge dropped all charges against a man accused of involvement in a 2017 street racing crash that killed three people and injured four minors.
Lawrence Maurice Ravenel, 49, was acquitted after two days of testimony last week, Charleston’s 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced on Monday. He was accused of racing against his cousin, Elijah Simmons, when Simmons lost control of his Camaro and crashed into a bus carrying passengers then launched into a Buick head-on. Simmons and two passengers in the Buick were killed, news outlets reported.
Ravenel faced racing, reckless homicide and hit-and-run charges but a judge ruled that because he wasn’t physically involved in the crash, he wasn’t criminally responsible, the Solicitor’s Office statement said. The judge also ruled it couldn’t be proven that Ravenel and Simmons made an agreement to race.
Simmons was clocked going about 99 mph (159 kph) before the crash, according to North Charleston police. Video showed the cars in adjacent lanes and accelerating just before the wreck, investigators said.
A not guilty verdict was handed down in lieu of a jury trial, the Solicitor’s Office added.
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