Indian American Man Sentenced to Life for Intentionally Killing Three Teens Who Played a Door Bell Prank

Anurag Chandra of California, who was accused of killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming his car into theirs after they played a doorbell-ringing prank on him, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The 45-year-old Indian American man was convicted on April 28 in a Riverside County courtroom of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Riverside County District Attorney Michael A. Hestrin issued a statement after the July 14 sentencing. “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,” read the statement, according to a news release issued by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

Also in attendance was Craig Hawkins, the father of one of the victims Daniel Hawkins, the DA’s office said. “Every day we sense the absence of this young man,” he said of his son, according to the news release. “The hole in our hearts and lives from the taking of our son’s life is staggering.”

Meanwhile, David Wohl, an attorney for Chandra, told The Times that he and his client were “disappointed” in the conviction and sentence. He said that he planned to appeal the verdict.“While we believe that some sort of manslaughter conviction would have been appropriate, a murder conviction under these circumstances was simply erroneous,.”

On Jan. 19, 2020, Chandra chased down the car occupied by six teenagers, causing the vehicle to crash and kill half of the boys. The boys were having a sleepover and ultimately dared one of the friends to do a “doorbell ditch,” so they drove to a nearby house, according to an investigation by the California Highway Patrol. Once there, one of the boys rang the doorbell of a home on Modjeska Summit Road and ran back to the Prius. 

Chandra, who lived at the home, chased after the Prius in his 2019 Infinity Q50. As Chandra pursued the victims, he re-ended the Prius, and sideswiped their vehicle until they were forced to stop, the DA news release said. The Prius made a U-turn to escape, however, Chandra continued his pursuit.  Ultimately, as both vehicles approached Squaw Mountain Road, Chandra increased his speed to 99 mph, then intentionally rammed his car into the back of the Prius, causing it to veer off the road and into a tree, the news release added. 

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At the trial in April, Chandra, who didn’t know the teens, said one of the boys rang his doorbell and exposed his buttocks before running away, according to The Riverside Press-Enterprise. He said he followed them because he feared for his family’s safety and wanted to express his anger. Chandra already was facing criminal charges in connection with alleged domestic violence in 2020 when the killings occurred.

He also told the court that he drank 12 beers in the hours before the crash, the newspaper reported. He said he did not plan to crash into the Prius and testified that he did not stop after rear-ending the sedan. Although he admitted that he had been driving 99 mph before the collision, he said he said he didn’t stop because he did not realize anyone had been injured, the paper said. The Prius’ driver lost control and the sedan slammed into a tree in Temescal Valley, about 60 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The crash killed Daniel Hawkins of Corona; Drake Ruiz of Corona; and Jacob Ivascu of Riverside. The other three boys – Joshua Hawkins and Joshua Ivascu, then 13; and the driver Sergio Campusano, 18 at the time, were injured, but survived. They were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment according to media reports.