Austin police say they're putting a new law banning racing along state highways to the test.
Officers arrested Richard Carrasquillo, 23, and charged him with Racing on a Highway, which is now a second-degree felony when someone is injured during the course of the race.
Investigators say he was racing Alexander Vasquez, 19, along Slaughter Lane last weekend when Vasquez crashed and died.
HB 1326 went into effect in September making street racing a felony, punishable by jail time, not just a citation and fine.
"It was my feeling and that of law enforcement that we should set a baseline for street racing to be the equivalent of driving while intoxicated, [which] means you can go to jail for six months and you can be fined up to $2,000," bill author Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, said.
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Street racers
Using a new law, police are cracking down on street racers.
 
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This is the first time the Austin Police Department has filed charges under this law since it was passed six months ago.
Carrasquillo's bond is set at $20,000.
Chris Galles, 22, races on the streets of Austin. He said he’s raced on Highway 183 and MoPac, and that there are fewer patrol officers in North Austin than South Austin.
"You get out there going at least -- I don't know, around 100 [mph] weaving in and out of traffic. It's a pretty good rush," he said.
Austin police say people even race along the Congress Avenue Bridge and on East Riverside during busy hours.
Police are targeting 16 to 24-year-olds like Galles.
"If you get your license suspended from racing, it's your own fault, so everybody knows the law now so if you get caught you deserve to have your license suspended," Galles said.
Austin police say they're trying to break up street racing exhibitions and have handed out more than 70 citations since September.
