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Emotions Run High As Victims' Families Face Man Charged In Connection With Deadly Dirt Bike Crash

NORTH BELLPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- There was an emotional eruption outside court Friday as families faced a Long Island man accused of using his minivan to kill two people who he thought had stolen his brother's dirt bike.

Christopher Bouchard, 27, is charged with reckless endangerment in connection with the deaths of 19-year-old Keenan King and 20-year-old Anthony Holmes-Garriques.

More than a dozen friends and family members of the victims packed into the Central Islip courtroom Friday morning. Holmes-Garriques' mother, Lina Garriques, was the most vocal as they left court, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported.

"Mowed my son deliberately down in a motor vehicle, and he got a prior DWI -- a prior," she said. "It's murder!"

"Let me tell you something -- I gotta go do an autopsy on my son today," she added.

Investigators say both men were killed after being thrown off of a dirt bike when Bouchard, with his brother in the passenger seat, allegedly used his minivan to chase down the pair Thursday morning as they were riding on Montauk Highway.

Bouchard was tailing them because the bike had been stolen from his older brother, according to police.

Prosecutors described it as a high speed chase with Bouchard crossing into oncoming traffic before hitting the bike, sending King and Holmes-Garriques flying. Witnesses said Bourchard was driving near 100 miles per hour.

"The guys who hit him, they had no remorse, no sympathy. They were trying to take the bike, and run, and go, and leave those kids there like that, dead," witness Vanessa Lyons said. "I came outside. Once I seen them, I checked. Keenan wasn't breaking no more, so I went to the next one, he was still breathing."

Neither men had on helmets. King, who was driving the bike, was pronounced dead at the scene. Holmes-Garriques was taken to the hospital where he later died.

"There was no intent," defense attorney John Halverson said. "My client never intended to hurt anyone. His heart goes out to the victims. It's a tragedy. He never intended to hurt anyone."

But it's an explanation the families of the victims aren't buying -- the words doing nothing to stop their anger, Burrell reported.

"I want him to rot in jail," Lina Garriques said.

Bouchard pleaded not guilty and is being held on $500,000 cash bail. He was convicted in the past of DWI, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.

Some are raising questions about law enforcement dash cam video, because it appeared that police were part of the pursuit, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported.

"We heard the dirt bike pass by, but we didn't think nothing of it. It happens pretty often around here," witness John Lamberson said. "And then it was just one cop car after another, undercovers, mall cars. And then that scene down there."

Prosecutors say that there is video footage of the chase and the charge of reckless endangerment will likely be upgraded.

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