A 13-year-old girl driving her mother's car on a joyride lost control and collided with another vehicle in Compton, killing three young passengers, authorities said Sunday.
In a city where residents are familiar with violence, the Saturday evening crash left the families of the dead children struggling to make sense of the accident. They asked why a 13-year-old who some neighbors said they had seen driving on other occasions was allegedly behind the wheel of a car.
"All of them made a bad choice. But this bad choice [cost] them their life," said Donetta Johnson, 43, whose son, Derrius, 15, died in the crash.
Harry Neal's lip trembled as he told stories about his nephew, Ricky Ward, 13, who also was killed.
"I lost my baby," Neal said. "I don't know how a 13-year-old gets keys to a car."
Clydnesha Lindsey, 12, was the third victim. All three were from Compton.
Sheriff's officials said Sunday they would consider whether to file criminal charges against the driver or her mother, neither of whom was identified by authorities because the girl is a minor.
"We do have three people who were killed," said Sheriff's Sgt. Ralph Miller. "There is the question you have to ask: Did the mom let her use the car? And I have no idea what the answer is. But how she got the car, [and] had she done this before [are key questions]."
The crash occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. when the driver -- wearing pajamas from a slumber party -- crossed a centerline on Alondra Boulevard and her white four-door Mazda was broadsided by an SUV, sheriff's officials said.
All three victims had been seated in the back of the Mazda. The impact of the crash threw Clydnesha from the car onto a metal fence, according to officials at the scene.
Two other passengers and the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The adult driver and passenger of the SUV that struck the car were not seriously injured, sheriff's officials said.
The 13-year-old driver and three victims all lived within blocks of each other and had grown closer in the last few months when they started to "chirp" each other -- using the walkie-talkie function on some cellphones to chat.
Friends and neighbors, some bringing candles, teddy bears and notes to the crash scene Sunday, described what led up to the accident.
R.J. Grant, 14, who lived on the same block as the two boys killed, said he and another friend had ridden in the car with the 13-year-old driver shortly before the accident, taking a few laps around their cul-de-sac.
