Teen siblings killed in Chatsworth crash; suspected drunk driver charged with murder

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A family is left devastated after their 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter died following a horrific crash involving a suspected drunk driver days before Christmas in Chatsworth. The suspect has since been charged with murder, officials say. 

Arjit and Akshata Chettupalli 

On Dec. 18 at 11:30 p.m., the Chettupalli family was returning home from a community event when their Mercedes was rear-ended by a 2015 Volkswagen that was traveling at a high rate of speed, Los Angeles police investigators said. 

Arjit, 14, was pronounced dead at the scene. His sister, Akshata (Lucky), 16, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center in grave condition. She was taken off life support on Christmas Day after she was declared brain-dead. 

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

Their parents Ram and Rajani were also hospitalized and survived the crash. However, the two continue to mourn the loss of their two children.

All family members were active members of the community.

Dozens turned out at vigil Sunday night where community members left flowers and gave speeches in honor of the young victims.

The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Jungwon Kang of Northridge, was booked and charged with murder. 

Kang’s bail was set at $2,000,000.

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.