Loyola High School tennis star killed by alleged DUI driver remembered as 'larger than life'

Teen killed in Manhattan Beach crash remembered

Braun Levi's life was celebrated at Loyola High School on Saturday, nearly a week after Levi was killed after he was hit in Manhattan Beach by an allegedly drunk driver.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. - The Loyola High School community held a vigil on Saturday for Braun Levi, the 18-year-old star tennis player who was killed by an allegedly drunk driver in Manhattan Beach last week. 

The backstory:

Levi was hit by a car on May 5, while walking in Manhattan Beach. Officers responded to the crash at South Sepulveda near First Street just before 1 a.m. Paramedics rushed Levi to the hospital, where he later died. 

Officers arrested Jenia Belt, 33, of Los Angeles on suspicion of DUI and murder, police said. Belt is being held with no bail. According to the LA Times, Belt was driving on a suspended license due to a prior DUI conviction.  

Teen tennis star killed by suspected DUI driver

The Loyola High School community is mourning the loss of 18-year-old Braun Levi. The teen tennis player was hit and killed by a suspected DUI driver who was allegedly behind the wheel on a suspended license.

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Levi was described as a leader on campus, as a star on the tennis team, and serving on the Student Council and as a senior Big Brother.

He was set to attend the University of Virginia in the fall. 

"It breaks my heart that UVA won't get to experience his light," his sister Adele said. "I can't count how many times he called me and said, ‘I’m so excited for college. What's it like?'"

Levi died just weeks before he was set to graduate from Loyola. His death also comes just months after the family lost their home in the Palisades Fire. After their home was destroyed, the family relocated to Manhattan Beach.

What we know:

Mourners gathered at Loyola High School on Saturday to celebrate Levi's life.

Family, school staff, coaches and more remembered Levi as someone "larger than life" who was "happy every single day."

"It's that very magnetic presence that we mourn today," said Father Billy Biegler, who used to work at the school. "Not just the passing of a son or a brother or a grandson, a nephew, a classmate or a friend, but the passing of a person who taught us how incredible life could be — how joyful and how radiant a person could be. Today we mourn the presence of somebody who demonstrated to us what God's goodness looks like. The warmth and joy and genuine excitement of a friend."

"It's everyone's worst nightmare," said Levi's dad, Dan. "We lost our only son. We lost our best friend. This week has been the worst of our lives, and we've gotten through it. Because all of you. Thank everybody so much for being here and for supporting our family."

His mother called his death "a senseless act of cowardice, stupidity and evil. I will never understand why he's been ripped from us. I love Braun and I miss him in a way that is causing pain I didn't think possible."

Before Saturday's celebration of life, community members gathered in Manhattan Beach for a "Paddle out." Dozens of people on surfboards paddled into the ocean in honor of Levi.