Wednesday, March 11, 2009

TapouT Co-Founder Dies in Crash

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (March 11) - Mixed martial arts figure "Mask," who co-founded the TapouT clothing line, was killed early Wednesday when his $300,000 Ferrari crashed and was torn in half. The driver of another car was arrested for investigation of manslaughter.

TapouT announced the death of Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. in a statement and said a memorial service was being planned. However, the Orange County coroner's office did not immediately confirm his identity. Police said the crash occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Jamboree Boulevard, a major street in wealthy Newport Beach.

A patrol officer saw the red 2004 Ferrari Modena and a white 1977 Porsche coupe spinning out of control, possibly as a result of a collision, police Lt. Craig Fox said in a statement. "We believe they were going fast based on the skids and the damage to the vehicle," Fox told KABC-TV. "But we can't speculate at this point if they were racing or not." The Ferrari hit a curb, then knocked over a light pole that fell on it and the car was torn in half, Fox said. Lewis died at the scene.

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