Mask crash photos

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And as El Guapo always says- "God speed, and party on. Whoap!"

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Posted by CwB

im not sure i wanted to see those...

its a sad situation...

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Last edited 3/15/09 12:35PM by manfred
Edit note/reason: n/a

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Posted by bojangalz

I hope when the dust settles they'll be able to get to the truth of what happened that night. It won't change anything, but it may bring peace of mind to those who are greiving.

No matter what, the sport/industry lost a pioneer. RIP brother.

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The man arrested on Wednesday in connection with the death of “Tapout” founder Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr., has been formally charged with vehicular manslaughter after a brutal crash left the clothing company entrepreneur’s Ferrari ripped in half by a cement pole in Newport Beach, Calif.

Jeffrey D. Kirby, 51, of Costa Mesa, Calif., has been charged with “one felony count of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, and sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims,” according to a press release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Kirby, who has a prior 2002 conviction for driving under the influence, faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months if convicted.

Kirby is being held on $2 million bail and will be arraigned on Friday afternoon at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, Calif.

Lewis’ red Ferrari and Kirby’s white Porsche were observed traveling alongside one another in the same direction on the three-lane Jamboree Road around 1 a.m. PST on Wednesday morning, according to a Newport Beach police officer who was traveling in the opposite direction and witnessed the crash.

“Kirby is accused of speeding alongside a 2004 Ferrari…,” read the release, “… [and] is accused of losing control of his car due to his unsafe speed and crashing into Lewis’ vehicle,” which caused Lewis to lose control of his vehicle and collide with a cement pole.

The Newport Beach Police Dept. has not depicted the accident as a “drag race.”

Kirby was later apprehended with a female companion a few blocks from the crash by officers, who observed the couple walking away from Kirby’s vehicle. Kirby was described as “emitting an odor of alcohol, slurring his speech, and having bloodshot and watery eyes,” according to the release.

Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. His girlfriend, Lacy Lynn White was ejected from the vehicle in the crash and landed on a nearby dirt embankment. White, 23, was transported to Western Medical Center – Santa Ana, where she was treated for a fractured elbow, lacerations and abrasions.

Investigating officials told Sherdog.com on Thursday that White is in critical, but stable condition and is expected to survive.

Lewis, 45, was one of the co-founders of the ultra-popular MMA-lifestyle clothing brand and a star of the Versus reality TV show “Tapout.” Lewis and his partners debuted their logo in November 1997 and built a multi-million dollar clothing business virtually from scratch, selling T-shirts out of their cars at grassroots events into the early 2000s. Lewis and his partners were noted for their dedication to the sport’s advancement, as well as their generosity as sponsors to countless MMA fighters.

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Last edited 3/15/09 12:39PM by manfred
Edit note/reason: n/a

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Posted by postman

How is the girl doing?

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Posted by Styles

I just want to point one thing out and see what people think about it. Before this incident, alot of people had bad things to say about Mask, and when I say people I mean fans of MMA who did not know or have ever met Mask. It seemed to me to be some sort of trend to down talk Tap-out for unknown reasons. Now that the incident happened, it seems like those same people are all concerned about the crash, the friends and family of Mask. Not directing anything towards anyone on this site, but it just blows my mind that people are so quick to cast wrongful judgement and then be so quick to have a change of heart only after something tragic has happened. Sorry to get off topic from the OP but that is just bugging me.

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BJ Penn beat Frankie Edgar more times than Benson Henderson beat Frankie Edgar.

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Posted by Styles

I just want to point one thing out and see what people think about it. Before this incident, alot of people had bad things to say about Mask, and when I say people I mean fans of MMA who did not know or have ever met Mask. It seemed to me to be some sort of trend to down talk Tap-out for unknown reasons. Now that the incident happened, it seems like those same people are all concerned about the crash, the friends and family of Mask. Not directing anything towards anyone on this site, but it just blows my mind that people are so quick to cast wrongful judgement and then be so quick to have a change of heart only after something tragic has happened. Sorry to get off topic from the OP but that is just bugging me.

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