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Passenger is killed in apparent drag race wreck

By EMILY NIPPS
Published September 15, 2006

TAMPA - Auto mechanic Steve Coleman was working in his Florida Avenue shop around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday when he was startled by what sounded like "a train wreck."

"All I heard was just, 'Bam! Boom! Bang!' " he said. "Just loud metal. No screeching of the tires or anything. And then a sound like someone was laying on the horn."

He ran toward the street to find one of the most horrifying car wrecks he has ever seen. One young man crawled out of the driver's side window of a 2001 Ford Mustang that had hit a concrete pole and been ripped in half and scattered in two twisted pieces. Another jumped out of a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro, which had damage along the front end, and rushed to a third young man, who had been thrown from the Mustang.

That third man, 20-year-old Kevin Gonzalez of 24451 Karnali Court in Lutz, lay on the concrete driveway in front of the shop. He died at the scene.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, it appeared that the crash occurred during a race between the driver of the Mustang, 21-year-old Maktari Mohamed, and the driver of the Camaro, 20-year-old Michael Howell. Gonzalez was a passenger. None of the three had been wearing seat belts.

The two cars sped northbound on N Florida Avenue just south of Bearss Avenue, the patrol said.

Coleman, the mechanic, said the stretch of road is popular with drag racers but has a lot of bumps and potholes that might have caused the drivers to lose control.

Howell's Camaro began to spin counterclockwise, according to patrol Cpl. James Atwood, striking the passenger side of Mohamed's Mustang. The Mustang slid off the road, jumped a curb and smashed into a concrete utility pole on the side where Gonzalez was sitting.

The Mustang ripped in two, the rear end flying into the middle of the road and the front end skidding into the parking lot of Coleman's shop, Par Automotive, which shares space with Best Buy Auto Sales. Howell crashed into a couple of Best Buy's vehicles, causing minor damage to them, the patrol said.

Coleman ran up in time to see Mohamed climb out of the Mustang wreckage and tumble into the street. He said Howell ran over to Gonzalez, rolled him over and shook him, yelling, "Kevin! Kevin!" Coleman, who was the first on the scene, said he called 911 immediately, and told Howell to stop shaking Gonzalez, who was limp and unconscious. Howell then dropped to his knees and began praying, Coleman said.

"It was like something out of the movies," he said.

Gonzalez was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics arrived. Howell and Mohamed were taken to St. Joseph's hospital, where they were treated and released. Neither of the drivers, nor Gonzalez's next of kin, could be reached for comment. A man who answered the phone at Mohamed's residence and only identified himself as a friend said Mohamed was too distraught to talk to a reporter.

In the hours after the accident, a makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and pieces of wreckage debris accumulated at the base of the scarred concrete pole. The memorial remained there Thursday, and Coleman said people came by throughout the day to look and shake their heads at the accident site.

Court records show that Gonzalez has faced several driving-related charges over the last few years, including a July 2005 charge for racing on a highway, which was later dropped. Mohamed of 4032 Cortez Drive, Tampa, has racing and unlawful speeding offenses on his driving record. And Howell of 1507 Hillside Drive, Tampa, has a record that includes infractions for careless driving and driving too fast for conditions.

Gonzalez's page on MySpace, a popular social networking Web site, allowed a glimpse of a young man who loved cars and was into racing. With a professional racing photo in the background, he bashes Dodge Neons on his page and lists his most embarrassing moment as "car problems."

Both Mohamed and Howell were listed as Gonzalez's MySpace friends. Beginning shortly after midnight following the accident, several people had posted condolences on Gonzalez's page, as well as on Mohamed's and Howell's pages.

No one had yet been charged Thursday in the accident, but the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash as a homicide.

Times researchers Cathy Wos and John Martin contributed to this report. Emily Nipps can be reached at 813 269-5313 or nipps@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 15, 2006, 01:02:11]