A simple joke turned into a fatal event when a man from California, enraged by a prank conducted by a group of six teenagers, rammed his car into the youths’ vehicle as they left his property.

Anurag Chandra was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in relation to the incident that occurred on January 19, 2020, in Temescal Valley, approximately 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

The six teenagers were participating in a “ding dong ditch” prank for amusement. One of them rang Chandra’s doorbell, exposed his buttocks to him, and then quickly ran off. Regrettably, their light-hearted prank set off a fatal series of events. Chandra, who didn’t know the teens, confessed in court that he pursued them because he was worried about his family’s safety and was “extremely, extremely mad” about the joke.

The pursuit concluded with Chandra’s car forcing the teenagers’ Toyota Prius off the road, after which he left the scene. The Prius driver tried in vain to regain control but ultimately collided with a tree, leading to the deaths of three 16-year-olds: Daniel Hawkins, Drake Ruiz, and Jacob Ivascu.

Chandra disclosed during the trial that he had consumed 12 beers in the hours preceding the accident. He claimed he didn’t intend to crash into the Prius and didn’t stop after hitting the car from behind because he was unaware of any injuries. However, he admitted to driving recklessly at a speed of 99 mph.

The accident’s survivors, 18-year-old driver Sergio Campusano and 13-year-olds Joshua Hawkins and Joshua Ivascu, witnessed the crash and provided testimony in court. They were present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.