The incident occurred when six teenage boys were having a sleepover, and one of them dared another to approach Chandra's home and ring the doorbell. After ringing the doorbell, the teens quickly fled in their car. However, Chandra chased them in his own vehicle, rear-ending and sideswiping their car until they were forced off the road and crashed into a tree. The collision resulted in the deaths of Drake Ruiz, Daniel Hawkins, and Jacob Ivascu, all 16 years old.
Chandra fled the scene without reporting the crash, but witnesses followed him to a nearby home and alerted the authorities. Chandra was subsequently arrested and has been in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside since January 2020.
During the trial, Chandra claimed that one of the boys exposed his buttocks before running away, and he testified that he chased the teens out of anger and concern for his family's safety. He also admitted to consuming 12 beers prior to the incident.
The victims' families expressed their grief and loss, with Craig Hawkins, Daniel's father, stating that the absence of his son in their lives is immeasurable. The community held a large vigil in honor of the boys following the tragedy.
District Attorney Mike Hestrin commended the judge for imposing the maximum sentence, highlighting the impact of Chandra's anger and reckless actions on numerous families.
"The lives of countless families will never be the same because of one man’s anger, callousness and outrageous conduct, and I am grateful to Judge Navarro for imposing the maximum sentence in this case," said District Attorney Mike Hestrin.
Chandra was also facing charges related to a separate domestic violence case, to which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of spousal battery and child endangerment.