Calif. man convicted of killing 3 teens who played 'ding-dong ditch' on him

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (TCD) -- A jury convicted a 45-year-old man of murder last week three years after he crashed his car into a vehicle carrying a group of teens who played a prank on him.

NBC News reports Anurag Chandra was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder Friday, April 28, in a Riverside County court in connection with the deaths of Daniel Hawkins, Drake Ruiz, and Jacob Ivascu. The victims who died were all 16 years old. Three others survived the crash.

According to The Desert Sun, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, at approximately 10 p.m., one of the teens rang Chandra’s doorbell at his home on Modjeska Summit Road, then went back to a Toyota Prius that had been idling nearby as part of a game of "ding-dong ditch" or "doorbell ditch."

Chandra reportedly got into his Infiniti Q50 and chased after the Prius. He hit the Prius, which then spun out and hit a tree.

The Associated Press reports Chandra consumed 12 beers the night of the incident and was "extremely, extremely mad" about the prank. He was reportedly driving close to 100 mph when he crashed into the Prius.

Chandra’s attorneys told the Los Angeles Times he will file a motion for a new trial.

Attorney David Wohl said, "I think that we felt worst-case scenario would be voluntary manslaughter, but we also thought we had made a great case for an acquittal outright. The battle has just begun as far as I’m concerned."

MORE:

• California man who rammed car of teens who played doorbell prank convicted of murder - NBC News
• Corona man charged with murder, attempted murder in alleged ramming case that killed three, 1/23/2020 - Desert Sun
• California man guilty of killing 3 after doorbell prank - The Associated Press
• Man found guilty of murdering teens who 'ding-dong-ditched' his house - Los Angeles Times