In the early evening hours of January 9, 2009, Aren Aznavoleh was driving a red Quest minivan eastbound on Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale. Two witnesses at different locations observed his van going at about sixty miles per hour as it approached Estelle Avenue. Just in front of Aznavoleh was a white BMV, also going about sixty miles per hour. Both witnesses described the car and minivan as racing.

As the traffic light on Glenoaks at Concord Street, just past Estelle, turned red, the sports car kept going, zipping through the intersection.