Attorney calls murder charges against teen involved in deadly street racing wreck possible overreach

A teen is now facing homicide charges after an alleged street racing crash.

Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson reported earlier this month that an alleged street racing crash killed a man when his car flew into this tree.

Now, the other person he was allegedly racing is facing homicide charges. His attorney said the charges may be an overreach.

Eighteen-year-old Alan Vasquez Catalan was in a Gwinnett County courtroom on Friday, facing homicide charges.

“I’m confident that we’ll find him not guilty,” attorney Falon Elbaz said.

Police said Catalan and another driver were racing on Breckinridge Boulevard near Lawrenceville on March 9. The other car hit a speed limit sign, slammed into a tree, and the driver died at the scene.

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“They had passed each other numerous times. He stated that he was racing for five to 10 seconds before he decided to stop racing,” Gwinnett County Police Officer Alexis Kaspersky told the court on Friday.

Catalan watched the crash, then drove home and never called police.

It was a Monday, just after 6 p.m. and the road was packed.

Witnesses told officers both cars flew past them at more than 100 mph in a 45-mph zone.

The speed wasn’t a surprise to people who live nearby.

“Every day, Monday maybe nine, around nine or 10 p.m., people are racing,” neighbor Fernando Munoz said.

The neighborhood has pushed for more police patrols on the road.

But Elbaz, she and her law partner have seen this pattern before.

“We see a lot of street racing cases that are really just speeding,” Elbaz told Johnson.

Despite the argument, the judge sent the case forward.

Elbaz said Gwinnett has made stopping street racing a priority.

“Trying to stop actual street racing, but a lot of mischarging on street racing as well,” Elbaz said.

Elbaz is working to get Catala out of jail at a bond hearing set for next week.