LOS ANGELES » The driver of a souped-up Mustang that went out of control and killed two spectators during an illegal street race in Los Angeles has pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Forty-four-year-old Karen Gary Balyan also pleaded no contest Tuesday to assault with a deadly weapon and acknowledged fleeing the scene of the Feb. 26 crash in Chatsworth.

Authorities say seconds after the race began, Balyan’s car slammed into a curb and struck three people.

Twenty-six-year-old Eric Siguenza and 50-year-old Wilson Thomas Wong were killed. The third man was seriously injured.

The other driver, Israel Valenzuela, also pleaded no contest Tuesday to vehicular manslaughter.

Balyan faces 12 years in prison. Valenzuela faces 180 days.

A third man, Henry Gevorgyan, is charged with aiding and abetting a crime.