Ding-dong ditch prank turns deadly

On the way to a birthday sleepover Sunday night, six California teens in a Toyota Prius stopped to play a harmless prank, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The aftermath left three of them dead.

“The boys were playing ding-dong ditch at a house they thought was somebody their age — but it turned out to be that angry man,” said Debbie Ruiz, mother of one of the teens who died, KTTV reported.

After one of the teens rang the doorbell and fled, the 18-year-old driver of the Prius spotted someone following them in another car, KNBC reported.

“They were scared to death, tried to get away several times,” Ruiz said, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

“I just saw him ram his car into my back,” Campusano said, KNBC reported. “And I whipped into my window and I blacked out and then I remember I woke up on the floor — I don’t remember how I got there. I was shaking.”

The 2002 Prius slammed into a tree on Temescal Canyon Road near Trilogy Parkway at 10:30 p.m., KTLA reported.

The crash killed Drake Ruiz, Jacob Ivascu and Daniel Hawkins, all 16 years old, KCBS reported. The other three teens, including younger brothers of Hawkins and Ivascu, were injured.

Police arrested Anurag Chandra, 42, who fled the crash but was found a short distance away in his damaged white Infiniti, on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

“It was an intentional act,” said Lt. David Yokley of the California Highway Patrol, KTTV reported. “Our investigation led us to believe Mr. Chandra intentionally rammed the Prius, causing the driver to lose control.”