Lake City rapper Raw Youngin formally charged with vehicular homicide and four other felonies related to July crash in Gainesville

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eric Javah Baker, 21, of Lake City, also known as Raw Youngin, has been formally charged with vehicular homicide and four other felonies related to a fatal July 26 crash in Gainesville.

On August 28, Baker was formally charged with vehicular homicide with failure to stop and render aid, leaving the scene of an accident involving death, leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, and reckless driving causing bodily injury.

The original incident

At about 6:41 p.m. on July 26, Gainesville Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of NE 2nd Street on an Infinite Q50S for stop bar and window tint violations. The Infiniti reportedly stopped on NE 10th Avenue, just west of its intersection with NE 2nd Street.

As officers approached the Infiniti on foot, it reportedly drove away at high speed on NE 10th Avenue; the officers reportedly went back to their patrol vehicle and turned off their emergency lights.

A short time later, the Infiniti reportedly hit another car at the intersection of NW 10th Avenue and NW 6th Street; the driver of the other car was fatally injured in the crash, and the other three occupants of the Infiniti, one of whom reportedly had life-threatening injuries, were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

After the Infiniti came to a stop in the front yard of a property in the 600 block of NW 10th Avenue, the driver, later identified as Baker, allegedly ran from the scene without offering aid to any of the occupants of either vehicle. In spite of suffering from what appeared to be a broken ankle, Baker allegedly ran from the scene of the crash and tried to hide in the yard of a nearby property. A K-9 team reportedly located and apprehended him, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment of his ankle.

Charges

Baker was originally issued citations for leaving a crash involving serious personal injury, leaving a crash involving death, no driver’s license while leaving a crash involving serious personal injury, and no driver’s license while leaving a crash involving death, and he was charged with three felonies for fleeing and for leaving the scene of the crash. Two felony charges of causing death or serious bodily injury while driving without a valid license were added a few days later.

The first of the formal charges, which replace the original charges (the second set of charges related to driving without a valid license are currently still pending), alleges that Baker killed Christopher Alvord by operating a vehicle in a reckless manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another; the second alleges that Baker knew the accident occurred and failed to give information and render aid.

The third and fourth charges allege that at least one of Baker’s two male passengers was seriously injured while he was driving “in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property” and that Baker failed to stay at the scene and render aid.

The fifth charge alleges that Baker had originally stopped his vehicle after being pulled over by police officers and then fled in an attempt to elude the officers.

The sixth charge, a misdemeanor, alleges that a woman in Baker’s car was injured because Baker was driving “in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.”

Baker was on probation at the time of the crash, and Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail on the original and second set of charges at $700,000; Baker has been in the Alachua County Jail since he was released from the hospital after the accident.

Baker is a rapper who signed with Epic Records and has released a number of videos since 2019 and an album in 2022; he has also collaborated with DJ Khaled, G Herbo, OMB Peezy, and Doe Boy.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.