Alexous Sandoval, 17

Alexous Ann Sandoval and Daisy Orozco, two 17-year-old Latino girls, were killed in a taxi crash at the intersection of Medford Street and Fishburn Avenue in City Terrace about 12:40 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

According to police, the two girls had flagged the cab at 12:30 a.m. near Wabash Avenue and North Soto Street in Boyle Heights. The cab driver, Javier Hernandez, 40, a Latino man, told police that the girls asked to be taken to the Ramona Gardens housing project.

As they approached the complex, Hernandez said one of the girls told him to wait because her boyfriend was going to pay for the fare. Shortly after, a Latino man armed with a handgun approached the cab. Police said Hernandez panicked and sped off with the girls still inside.

The two teens told Hernandez to stop, but when he didn't one of the girls allegedly attacked Hernandez, causing him to lose control and crash into a concrete barrier, authorities said. The girls were declared dead at the scene.

Police later arrested Hector Jasso, 20, and Daniel Salvador Martinez, 21, both Latino men, on suspicion of murder.

Police said they believe the two teenage girls conspired with the men in an attempted taxicab robbery and carjacking. Their deaths are included in the Homicide Report because the so-called felony murder rule classifies as homicides deaths that occur in the process of felonies.