Alexous Ann Sandoval, 17

Alexous Ann Sandoval and Daisy Orozco, two 17-year-old Latino girls, were killed in a taxicab crash at the intersection of Medford Street and Fishburn Avenue in City Terrace about 12:40 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8. According to police, the two girls had flagged the taxicab at 12:30 a.m. near Wabash Avenue and North Soto Street in Boyle Heights. The cab driver, Javier Hernandez, 40, a Latino man, told police that the girls asked to be taken to the Ramona Gardens housing project. As they approached the complex, Hernandez said one of the girls told him to wait, because her boyfriend was going to pay for the fare. Shortly after, a Latino man armed with a handgun approached the taxicab. Police said Hernandez panicked and sped off with the girls still inside. The two teens told Hernandez to stop, but when he didn't one of the girls allegedly attacked Hernandez, causing him to lose control and crash into a concrete barrier, authorities said. The girls were declared dead at the scene. More on the crash in the Los Angeles Time story.

Police later arrested Hector Jasso, 20 and Daniel Salvador Martinez, 21, both Latino men, on suspicion of murder.

Police believe the two teenage girls allegedly conspired with the men in an attempted taxicab robbery and carjacking. Their deaths are included in the Report because under the so-called "felony murder rule," which classifies deaths that occur in the cour of felonies as homicides.

Comments

[Stupid Decision]

Well, I hope the cab driver is doing well. He should know that what he did was what he needed to do to protect himself. He should not be feeling guilty, if he is feeling that way.

As for the two "young ladies", well they were 17 for God's sake! They should know the difference between right and wrong! Misguided or not, you should know not to attack a driver when he is driving at a high speed! At least know that! Common sense, people, that only makes the situation worse!

My family is not what one would call "normal". I have aunts who people would consider "crappy" parents. However, their children would either get in trouble or stay out of trouble. Who made the decision to stay out of trouble? The individuals themselves. They knew enough to stay out of situations that could cost them their lives or the lives or others.

Who knows how things would have been if the cabbie died. Neither of the two guys and girls probably would have turned themselves in.

They rolled the dice, they lost.

P.S. I do feel sorry for the cabbie and the two girl's families. It is a bad situation.

[Emily]

Wow, that is sad. To rob somebody (or at least to attempt to) then for the whole thing to backfire and lose your life? May God forgive them for that. I pray to God that I don't pass away after commiting such horrible thing.

[SYLENA]

I FILL BAD FOR THE PARENTS IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT THESE KID'S HAVE THIR ON MIND THEY TRIDE SOMETHING AND IT COST THEM THIR LIFE AND THIR BOY FRIENDS MIGHT NOT EVER SEE THE STREE AGEND AND THE DRIVER WILL NEVER BE THE SAME . AS WE WOULD SAY A GOOD GIRL WENT BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sassychica]

It's amazing how a decision can end up becoming horribly wrong.

[Not Perfect Myself]

I just want to leave condolences for all who lost some one they loved and for the taxi driver who survived.

I would also express my own opinion; I agree, 17 year old people do make sometimes horrible mistakes. Most of us, by the Grace of God, manage to cause no major harm to ourselves or others and move on to become good people. As for their parents, I don't believe you can blame them for everything. Children of fantastic parents still make mistakes.

[just an observer]

My condolences.

I feel sorry for the cab driver and am glad he will recover ~ God was indeed with him.

I also feel bad for the girls. Do you think they would have taken this foolish chance if they KNEW their actions would result in death? Of course the answer is no.

It is likely that they were being used by the young men who were waiting for them. Since I didn’t grow up in the projects, I cannot begin to know what would have happened if the girls had the mind (AND THE HEART) to tell the boys to shove their request. Even a beat down would have given them the chance to live another day.

The sad thing is that too many of our young people DON'T think their actions through. If they had given a second thought to what they were contemplating and how it COULD end (ALWAYS SEE BAD IN ITS WORSE LIGHT AND IT WILL CAUSE YOU TO THINK TWICE) they wouldn’t have done it.

If the parents are to blame or are responsible as some have said, it is only in the sense that it seems they failed to instill the self-love needed to turn these girls around and save their lives. If the parents did teach these girls right from wrong and they still decided to choose wrong, the parents are not at fault.

At some point you have to trust your children to walk in the way you teach them and to build on what they have been taught but you cannot force feed girls who are almost grown.

The saddest thing of all this is that unless these two girls used their VERY last breath to repent, they are now eternally separated from God. I know that sounds harsh and to their family and friends, I offer only apologies for speaking the truth during your time of bereavement, but that is the reality.

If just ONE child takes a lesson from what happened to these girls and gets it, really gets that their criminal scheme could backfire and cause them to lose their life and so make a different choice (UNDERSTANDING THERE ARE NO DO OVERS AFTER DEATH) and that forever is a long time, the life and death of these two girls will not have been in vain.

[Taylor]

Dirty Dogs: What are these regulations you speak of? Since you apparently know so much about it.

Also, it's "hypocrite".

[Mike]

To: justagirl

Congratulations for making it "out." You should be proud of yourself and I hope your kids are proud of you when they are old enough to understand what an accomplishment you have made.

Keep going, keep accomplishing, keep pursuing the American Dream. If you can do it, perhaps you will become a shining example for others to do it too!

God Bless you!

[John Doe]

A while back, when Americans weren't as smart as Americans today, they used to not count death of perpetrator as part of the crime death count. In another word, we have no death in this case...the taxi driver survived.

What do you think about that? Callous or justice. Remember, when you are compassionate to the cruels, you tend to be cruel to the compassionates. I can't imagine what the latino taxi driver is facing.

[Melissa]

I happen to agree with Kim's statements. These girls are not to blame, their parents are. Where were they when their children were running around a dangerous city with the intent to harm another? Nobody can tell me there were no other signs they were headed down the wrong track. There is no excuse for looking the other way when it comes the safety of your children. If the town is too dangerous, then MOVE. Even if it's to a small town in Kansas, get them out of that environment.
The men involved deserve to be punished for their crimes. Their girlfriends, unfortunately, have paid far worse.
For the taxi driver....get better, feel strong and secure in knowing you did the right thing. Your company owes you a lot, as does this society.

[Earnan Maguire]

Two robbers got killed 'cause they tried to rob a decent hard-working man.

Good riddance.

Lock their accomplices up for the rest of their lives.

[Keith]

Dear Dirty Dogs...

Why are you attacking Kim? Even Christ himself did not have unlimited mercy for sinners. People who commmit crime are sinners and those bad girls were sinning. Why pray for them? They had chances. They did not have to be doing the thing that got them killed. They were not crazy.

A carzy person does not know right from wrong. Those girls knew what they were doing was wrong. Kim does not have to feel remorse for them and neither do I. I feel sorry for the baby, and the cab driver. They are the true victims. But I do not feel sorry for the girls.

[DONT WORRY!!!]

REST IN PEACE DAISY!!!!IM GONNA MISS YOU A LOT!!! BUT I KNOW THAT NOW YOU ARE IN A BETTER PLACE!!! AND FOR ALL U PEOPLE TALKING SMACK EVERYONE MAKES BAD DECIONS ONCE IN A WHILE AND EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES!!ALSO NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT HAPPEND EXCEPT FOR THE TWO VICTUMS AND THE GUYS!!!SO WHY DONT YOU GUYS FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO THEN POST UP COMMENTS ABOUT THINGS YOU JUST READ AND DONT KNOW THE TRUTH BEHIND IT ALL!!!

R.I.P DAISY WE WILL MEET AGAIN!!

[Dirty Dogs]

Kim Smith, the thing that i cant believe is that you state "i feel no remorse for these young ladies" and at the end of your message you claim to pray for the taxi drivers speedy recover. You must be a very bright person, just in case you dont get it, it was not a compliment. By the way, the taxi driver was not in compliance with regulations (as required by taxi drivers) not to say he deserved what he got. So Kim, since you claim to be a religious person (or whatever you choose to call yourself) why not just pray for all the victims involved here? You hiprocrite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shamus O'Malley]

I feel sad but relieved for the hard working taxi driver just busting his hump trying to eke out a living driving a cab late at night just to bring a little money home for his family to survive in this expensive city. Somehow he was lucky enough to think fast when that idiot pulled a gun. Most likely they would have robbed him, car jacked him shot him and left him for dead. But for once luck was on the innocent guy's side that night and the moronic scumbags are gonna go rot in crowded jail cell and most likely get punked out for the next 20 years and for the 2 darwin award winners girls well if conspire to rob and carjack an innocent person at gun point then unfortunately you have to pay to play.

Be cafeful because Karma will get you every time!

[LUCY]

One of these girls was my bf cousin..sad to say!

[Bill]

So sad these two Latino honor students had their lives cut short. They had so much promise.

[justagirl]

I feel very bad for both the families of the girls and also the cabdriver involved. to Kim Smith, it is sad that you choose to pass judgement and try to come across as a decent citizen while at the same time saying you feel no remorse for these girls. Regardless of the events, they are still young girls and it is a travesty that they are now deceased. I can understand the circumstances so well because I was once a 17 year old girl, chola kicken it in the streets commiting crimes. You don't think when you are young, you just do. And when you don't have parents in your face constantly, you can easily be led astray. It doesn't make the parent's bad people just ignorant as to what is going on in the streets. I could see myself in these girls, sad as it is, yet here I am 27, a mother, a taxpayer with a good job and I would NEVER hurt another person. I have changed so much. The years and my children have changed me. We are all capable of it but unfortunately they will not be able to now. We have to try to understand each other and ALL try to make each other safe. Kim, what are you doing to make this world better? Until then.. God Bless to you all.

[carlos]

My condolences to these 2 families for their lost...

PARENTS WHERE YOU WERE AT THIS TIME, DID YOU KNOW THEIR FRIENDS, I HOPE YOU WILL LEARN FROM THIS LOST TO THE HIGHEST PRICE THAT A MOTHER AND FATHER CAN PAY...

ALLOWING YOUR KIDS TO DO WHAT THEY WANT, WHEN THEY WANT WITH THOSE NAMED *FRIENDS* WAS REFLECTED THAT DAY...

IS TIME TO STAR USING A PIECE OF ROPE WHEN YOUR KIDS ARE GOING OUT OF CONTROL, THE SYSTEM WILL PROTECT THEM NOW BY BEEN REPRENDED BUT IS THE SYSTEM TAKING BACK THEIR LIVES???

Ponganse los pantalones y no dejen que sus hijos los manipulen..

[Rick]

It is sad that two 17 year olds females are deceased and I believe one was pregnant but, they chose to get involved in this crime. If the cab driver had not done what he did, he probably would have been on this blog who knows. The very least they would have been arrested for armed robbery if they had lived. Trying to get some fast chump change cost them their lives.

[kim smith]

i feel absolutely no remorse for these young ladies they were out looking for vengence but it back fired i blame their parents for their behavior and up bringing because true real young girls would not be out at that time of night and the two that was arrested good for you hope you both get the maximum time the law will allow. to the cab driver i'm sure you are very well still shaken up by this terrible offense but god watched over you and sheilded you from these terrible individuals. i pray for a speedy recovery.