OGDEN, Utah — On Saturday, it seemed like just a normal day at Knockout Kuts Barbershop in Ogden, but there was a solemn feeling in the air, with two of their clients now gone.
"Just great kids, great kids,” said owner Cisco Alcantara.
On March 29, the Vasquez family’s life got turned upside down after their vehicle was hit by a pair of teenagers who were fleeing from police in a stolen car.
11-year-old Izarel and his 7-year-old brother Jaimito never made it home.
“As a mother, I have kids that are close to their age as well. It impacted me,” said family friend Hondra Gutierrez. "It hurt my mommy heart.”
“I was at the Home Depot at the time, and I just kind of leaned up against a rack, and just kind of had to really take a moment and gather myself,” Alcantara said. "I’ve lost a son also, so I know what it feels like to lose a son, but nothing compared to what they're going through."
It was at this moment that the staff at Knockout Kuts knew they needed to hold a fundraiser for their clients’ family.
“They were a big pillar in this community as well. The kids they were, they were good people, and it's just hard that this happened to them,” Gutierrez said.
A total of $3,500 was raised on Saturday; however, they say the finances do not help the family’s pain and suffering, and they demand change regarding road safety in the Ogden area.
“As busy as that road is, something should have happened where [police] should have just called [the pursuit] off,” Gutierrez said.
“This didn't have to happen… They should have just let that car go and not put so many people and families in danger,” Alcantara added. "I think that new rules and new laws need to be put in place so that this doesn't happen again.”
In the meantime, they’ll honor the lives of the two little clients who brought them so much joy.
“It opened up some old wounds, and I definitely feel for them with all my heart,” Alcantara said.
You can find a GoFundMe that was started to support the family HERE.
