Driver was going over 120 mph before crash that killed him, police say

A motorist killed in a crash in central Las Vegas accelerated his muscle car to more than 120 mph moments before the wreck, and he might have been racing a relative who was accused of traveling the same speeds, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Kashmir Newell, 36, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two felony counts of reckless driving resulting in major injuries and two misdemeanor traffic citations, including driving with a suspended license.

The Monday morning crash on North Jones Boulevard killed Newell’s 31-year-old half-brother, Phalon Young, who lived in St. Louis, the Clark County coroner’s office said.

Police said that Newell was behind the wheel of a 2016 Maserati GHIBLI at the time, but “the vehicles never made contact with one another, making the Maserati a noncontact vehicle and racing being a contributing factor why the collision occurred.”

Las Vegas police said that Young and his wife, and Newell and a woman, had just left a lounge in two cars.

As they were crossing Sahara Avenue, the cars’ undercarriages scraped the road, causing Young to lose control of his Dodge Challenger, police said.

The vehicle overturned and hit street signs and a brick wall, police said.

Data from the Challenger showed that Young was traveling more than 120 mph seconds before the crash, said police, noting that the speed limit on the road is 45 mph.

The Challenger’s occupants were taken to University Medical Center, where Young died, police said.

His wife suffered “major” injuries.

Newell has since been released from jail under the conditions that he doesn’t drive without a license and stays out of trouble, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.

He is due in court July 23.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.