AURORA — The driver suspected of street racing in Aurora on Thursday night was likely driving at speeds of 80 mph or faster before smashing into a car, police said Friday.
About 5:51 p.m., 24-year-old Brian Pyle of Aurora was traveling south on South Aurora Parkway in a yellow Chevrolet Cobalt, said Lt. Chuck De- Shazer, a spokesman for the Aurora Police Department.
Randal Schornack, 62, of Aurora was northbound on South Aurora Parkway when he attempted to turn left onto East Commons Avenue. Pyle plowed into Schornack’s silver Honda CRV, launching it onto the southwest corner of the intersection, where it landed on its roof.
Both men had to be extricated from their cars and were airlifted to nearby hospitals. They are both expected to recover.
While Pyle denies allegations that he may have been racing at the time, police said late Friday night that they have located and questioned a second driver suspected of being involved in a race.
Pyle maintains that he was doing nothing wrong, DeShazer said. Witnesses reported that Pyle’s Cobalt was street racing against a small, gray car. Detectives are working on obtaining video from a nearby Walmart.
Pyle, and the driver of the car he may have been racing, could face criminal charges.
DeShazer said that street racing is not common on that stretch of road. Residents in the neighborhood say the intersection is a hazard and people often drive well over the posted speed limit of 45 mph. “Anywhere you have three lanes and a couple of people willing to act the fool, you can get into these situations,” DeShazer said.
In 2009, Benny Gora Sitinjak was convicted of vehicular homicide after his 1996 Jeep Cherokee collided with a 1981 Camaro, killing 63-year-old Walter Oleksinski.
At 10 p.m. on July 16, 2009, Sitinjak was racing Jose Hernandez-Castellanos and was driving at least 73 mph when he attempted to turn at the intersection of East Yale Avenue and South Peoria Street in Aurora.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
