Loyola High School tennis star, 'a shining presence,' killed in Manhattan Beach crash; DUI suspect arrested

[ad_1] Simply final month, Loyola Excessive College in Los Angeles celebrated senior Braun Levi for shifting into the highest nationwide ranks of boys tennis.

The 18-year-old bagged one other victory simply days in the past, profitable the Mission League doubles championship. In a photograph, the beaming Levi stands beside teammate Cooper Schwartz, holding up 4 fingers — one for every of his 4 straight league doubles championships.

These achievements needed to be a little bit of a balm for the Levi household, coming just some months after their dwelling in Pacific Palisades burned within the January firestorm. The household had relocated to the South Bay.

It felt past comprehension, then, when Loyola Principal Jamal Adams emailed college students and employees of the Catholic Jesuit college Sunday to tell them that Levi had been killed in a site visitors accident simply hours earlier, a month earlier than his highschool commencement.

“Braun was a shining presence in our Loyola household,” Adams wrote, “bringing gentle, pleasure, and inspiration to everybody he touched.”

The principal invited the Loyola college household to a prayer vigil on campus Sunday night. “All members of our neighborhood are welcome to hitch us as we collect in unity and remembrance,” Adams wrote.

Manhattan Seaside police stated that they had arrested a 33-year-old Los Angeles lady on suspicion of drunk driving and murder in reference to the crash, which they stated occurred after midnight Sunday morning.

A quick information launch from the division stated solely {that a} name got here in at 12:46 a.m. a couple of site visitors accident involving a pedestrian within the 100 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard. They discovered the sufferer, whom they didn't establish, mendacity on the street.

The police assertion stated that Jenia Belt of Los Angeles had been arrested within the crash. Belt remained within the Manhattan Seaside jail Sunday, a police watch commander stated.

Buddies showered Levi’s social media account with tributes to him. Levi was to attend the College of Virginia within the fall.

“Anybody who bought to know you is aware of how fortunate they're,” stated one message. “You by no means met a stranger, and left an impression on everybody you met. I’m going to stay and love as large as you daily.”

Stated one other: “Whether or not you have been fortunate sufficient to cross paths with him for an hour or a lifetime, he left an impression. It was unimaginable to be unhappy or bored each time Braun was round, and his reward for lifting these round him was really singular.”

The pictures from Levi’s social media trace at a prototypical Southern California upbringing. He’s wading in a Excessive Sierra lake along with his household, arm-in-arm with buddies on the seaside, posing for a selfie with actor Adam Sandler and rocking a pink swimsuit and a fedora beside a horse racing monitor.

Simply two years in the past, one other Loyola Excessive student-athlete died within the last weeks of his highschool profession. Ryan Instances, a pitcher on the baseball crew, was struck and killed by a prepare in April of 2023, when the varsity was on spring break.

Brian Held, coach of the Loyola varsity tennis crew, known as Levi, a three-year captain, “most likely essentially the most adorned participant to ever play for the varsity.”

Held additionally taught Levi in AP Economics and Statistics. “We're all shocked, devastated and heartbroken with this tragedy,” Held stated through e-mail. “Braun was essentially the most wonderful, all-around chief, whom everybody cherished, even his opponents. He was simply that sort of child — distinctive and particular. As one in every of his lecturers, I witnessed how he introduced pleasure to everybody.”