Army NCO arrested after another NCO is killed during muscle car street race

A car crash near Fort Hood has left one non-commissioned officer dead and one in behind bars.

Staff Sgt. Sylvester Hiroyuki Hernandez, 33, with Fort Hood’s 15th Military Intelligence Battalion, was charged with racing on a highway causing serious bodily injury or death.  Police allege Hernandez is responsible for the death of a 28-year-old soldier from Fort Stewart, GA on Sunday evening.

He was also charged with “fail to stop and provide information striking fixture.”

A witness told Killeen Police that Hernandez told her he was racing Kali Athinos Strongheart when he crashed into the front of a house. Police also found Hernandez’s Ford Mustang with a missing bumper abandoned in a nearby field.

According to an affidavit for arrest, police found a photo of his Ford Mustang with Strongheart’s car posted to his Instagram page the day of the crash.

Hernandez turned himself in just after 5 a.m. Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest.  He was arraigned Thursday, with a bond of $100,000.

The local news reports Sergeant Strongheart was stationed at Fort Stewart, living in Hinesville, GA but his car’s license plate suggests he may have been stationed at Fort Hood at some point during his military career.

A video posted to Strongheart’s Instagram last month shows him street racing a Ford Mustang where he claims to be Mexico City, Mexico.

“The preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of a green Dodge Challenger was traveling southbound on Bunny Trail at a high rate of speed.  The driver failed to negotiate a curve, causing the vehicle to hit the curb and leave the roadway,” the Killeen police department said in a press release.

Strongheart’s vehicle hit a curb, jumped into the front yard, truck a tree in the front yard, crashed into the home and came to a stop inside of the home.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:35 am on Monday.

Police say Alcohol was a factor in the crash.

A driving cruise has been organized to raise money for Stongheart’s mother and is scheduled to take place at noon in Killeen on December 24.  Strongheart was the president of a Hinesville, Georgia, auto club called Fast Lane Rydaz and also enjoyed riding motorcycles.

“Most of all [he] loved cars and motorcycles,” Anthony Amor wrote on the GoFundMe page set up for Strongheart’s family. “His passion for cars was unbelievable. He was just like Paul Walker.”

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