Driver arrested in crash that killed Braun Levi had a suspended license, records show
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A 33-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and homicide early Sunday in a crash that killed Loyola High School senior Braun Levi was driving on a suspended license from a previous drunk driving arrest, according to public records.
Los Angeles County Superior Court records show that Jenia Resha Belt had previously been charged with DUI stemming from an incident on Nov. 25, 2023, and is not permitted to be behind the wheel, according to records provided to The Times by the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
Belt was charged in the 2023 incident with driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher and either driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or refusing to take a chemical test, and hit and run with property damage.
Belt pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of hit and run with property damage in September 2024. The DUI-related charges were dismissed in a plea deal with prosecutors. She was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to make restitution, according to court records.
The California DMV suspended her driver’s license on Jan. 18, 2024, for allegedly driving with an excessive blood alcohol level in the 2023 incident. Her license remains in suspended status with the DMV, according to department records.
Belt was arrested early Sunday after police said she struck 18-year-old Levi as he was walking with a friend in the 100 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard. Levi, a tennis star at Loyola High School in Los Angeles who was just a month away from his graduation, was found lying in the street when authorities arrived.
Braun Levi’s family already had lost their house in the Palisades fire. The Loyola High School senior died early Sunday. Police arrested a Los Angeles woman, on suspicion of drunk driving and homicide.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Monday that a criminal case had not been presented yet by Manhattan Beach police. The office did not respond to an email seeking comment about Belt’s prior charges.
Belt remains in custody without bail in Manhattan Beach, according to arrest records. A public defender who represented her in the prior case could not be reached for comment.
Video from the crash site showed a silver Infiniti SUV with damage to the hood and a smashed windshield. A witness who was not identified told videographers at the scene that he was walking ahead of Levi when he heard the crash. When he turned around, the teen was lying on the ground, he said.
Levi’s friends and classmates showered him with tributes both online and at a prayer vigil hosted on Loyola High’s campus Sunday night.
Brian Held, coach of the Loyola High School varsity tennis team, called Levi, a three-year captain, “probably the most decorated player to ever play for the school.” The teen had just won his fourth consecutive league championship on April 29.
Levi, whose family had recently lost their home in the Palisades fire, was preparing to attend the University of Virginia in the fall.
“His lovable personality, infectious smile, and boundless energy made him a beloved member of the Loyola community. He was a true Man for and With Others, and we will miss him dearly,” the school’s athletics department wrote in a tribute on Instagram.
Cooper Schwartz says Braun Levi, his tennis doubles partner who was tragically killed in an accident, was friends with many at Loyola High School.
Levi’s tennis partner, Cooper Schwartz, said in a post on Instagram that his friend was the “greatest work hard, play hard exemplar of all time.” A photo that accompanied the post showed the two boys years earlier holding tennis trophies.
“Why him? I don’t think I’ll ever stop asking myself this question,” Schwartz wrote.
“You’re forever who we toast to, who we laugh about when we try to explain anything you’ve ever done, and who we cry about knowing we can’t just give you a hug. 18 years or 125, no one had a better life than you did Braunny. The tears are joyful because of that.”
On Sunday evening, students and faculty packed Caruso Hall on Loyola’s campus to pray and share words of remembrance. The school’s choir performed several Christian hymns including “On Eagles Wings” and the school song “I Am Loyola.”
Assistant Principal Paul Jordan held back tears as he described Levi as a “friend and inspiration” to him.
“He was a friend to all who knew him, and we are all better for having known him.” Jordan told the crowd. “Braun loved his family, he loved Loyola, he loved his Palisades community, and he loved all of you, his fellow Cubs.”
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