Jenia Belt, the 33-year-old alleged DUI driver accused of killing Loyola High School senior Braun Levi, was reportedly driving on a license suspended for a previous drunk-driving arrest, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The 33-year-old woman was arrested May 4 on suspicion of DUI and homicide after reportedly striking and killing the teen at around 12:45 a.m. near the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Ronda Drive in Manhattan Beach.
When first responders arrived, Levi was lying in the street next to Belt’s silver Infiniti SUV.
He was rushed by ambulance to the hospital where officials with the Manhattan Beach Police Department said he succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased.
According to The Times, Belt’s license was suspended by the state Department of Motor Vehicles in Jan. 2024 for DUI-related charge in Nov. 2023. The 33-year-old pleaded no contest to misdemeanor hit-and-run with property damage. In a plea deal with prosecutors, the DUI-related charges were dropped, she was ordered to pay restitution and sentenced to a year of probation.
DMV records indicate that her license remains suspended, The Times reported.
Levi, whose family had just lost their home in the Palisades Fire, was a three-year captain of the Loyola High School tennis team and in April had won his fourth consecutive league championship. He was set to attend the University of Virginia after graduation.
Students, faculty, friends and loved ones packed Caruso Hall at Loyola High School for a prayer vigil Sunday evening and to remember the standout teen.
“He was a friend to all who knew him,” Assistant Principal Paul Jordan told the assembled mourners, according to The Times. “Braun loved his family, he loved Loyola, he loved his Palisades community, and he loved all of you.”
As of Monday, Manhattan Beach police had not yet presented the case to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
Belt remains in custody without bail.
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