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Suspected street racer crashes through backyard brick wall

Posted at 6:14 PM, Feb 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-02 21:37:15-05

A family's backyard wall was taken out over the weekend in what they believe to be a street racing crash, and they say it wasn't the first time the problem has reared its ugly head.

Alex Calderon was in bed in his home near Cimarron and Gomer when he heard a crash early Sunday morning.

"I thought one of the kitchen cabinets had fallen because it was that loud," Calderon said.

It was, in fact, a car crash, and the brick wall behind Calderon's home was destroyed.

He says it's the second time it's happened.

"We're thinking about moving since it happened twice," Calderon said. "I don't want to be here for the third time."

At 1:01 a.m. on Sunday, police say they received a call reporting street racing.

Just three minutes later, the call of the destroyed wall, a different call, came in.

Calderon and his neighbors say they saw about a dozen souped-up cars gathered around the crash immediately after it happened.

They'd like to see something done about what they say is constant street racing.

Police cited the 18-year-old driver of the car with two traffic violations.

The driver told officers he had a heated verbal exchange with another driver, and he lost control of his vehicle trying to get away.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says street racing is not a problem they encounter in the area, and speeders in Mountain's Edge are more common.

Just days later, there was another visibly shocking crash right in front of the repaired wall.

A suspected impaired driver flipped his truck when he clipped another vehicle while allegedly running a stop sign.

Onlookers reinforced the notion that speeding is a problem at the intersection.

"When the buses are stopped and they have their stop signs, people still pass them," said Marcy Escobedo, a relative of two people injured in the crash. "They don't stop here. They're always speeding and it's just horrible."

Escobedo's daughter's in-laws were taken to the hospital. She says they're expected to be ok.

In a statement, the Mountain's Edge Master Association said,

The Mountain’s Edge Master Association exists to preserve the nature and character of the community, while providing services and amenities to residents that connect people, protect and enhance property values, and create neighborhoods that truly feel like “home.” The concerns and issues that matter to the residents of Mountain’s Edge are of utmost importance.
The enforcement of traffic violations such as street racing on public roadways is under the scope of the LVMPD. The Mountain’s Edge Master Association communicates and works closely with The Enterprise Area Command to best address community concerns involving traffic safety.
The Mountain’s Edge Master Association works diligently for homeowners affected by this type of property damage to restore normalcy when and where we are able, by fixing perimeter walls, and working with LVMPD to secure insurance information for a homeowner.