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View Full Version : TapouT founder "Mask" tears Ferrari in half, dies at the scene



Whisky Dog
03-12-2009, 12:29 PM
http://news.aol.com/sports/article/charles-lewis-dies-in-crash/379365

tlongII
03-12-2009, 12:53 PM
Damn. That sucks. This dude had it made.

LEONARD
03-12-2009, 04:31 PM
From Tracy Lee...

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, and they're calling it Black Friday.

Please wear anything you have that is Tapout related in remembrance of Charles "MASK" Lewis.

They have a tribute page they are putting together; you can go leave a comment on their webpage:

http://www.tapout.com/index.cfm?fa=comments.home

There is also a Tapout phone line you can call to share a story, or leave a message for family and friends: 1-888-6-TAPOUT

Maybe you can take a photo in your shirt and send it to Tapout tomorrow?

----------------

I must say, I own nothing Tapout...

Maybe I'll wear my Fedor shirt...

LEONARD
03-12-2009, 05:15 PM
Interview with Mask the day before he died...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqw2iFqfGYk

Frank Trigg talks Mask...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpyr7W8yBPk

Evan
03-12-2009, 05:17 PM
Absolutely horrible story...I never got the costume but thousands of fighters made good money thanks to those guys. Sucks.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2964782544_e17f24238f.jpg

Horry For 3!
03-13-2009, 01:24 AM
I have TapouT shirts and a TapouT sticker on my truck, sad day.

Horry For 3!
03-13-2009, 01:25 AM
Maybe you can take a photo in your shirt and send it to Tapout tomorrow?


I'll probably take a picture of me in my TapouT shirt and send it in.

Horry For 3!
03-13-2009, 01:27 AM
I wonder what happens with the show now...

Evan
03-13-2009, 07:19 AM
I wonder what happens with the show now...

Show goes away but the company will keep chugging along.

Evan
03-13-2009, 07:20 AM
Dana on Mask


“But I’m going to tell you right now, you couldn’t meet a nicer guy, a more friendly, outgoing guy, a more loyal guy. He really was a good person. He’s one of the pioneers, one of the legends of this sport.

“This guy was selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his car and when we first got involved with the UFC, we met them. We really liked them, we liked their energy. They were good people and we got together and we started doing all this grassroots marketing together - the UFC and Tapout. They were very loyal to us and we were very loyal to them.

“And it sucks to see a guy who has worked so hard his whole life, to finally make it and break through, and then have something like this happen to him.”

desflood
03-13-2009, 04:04 PM
Small update from bloodyelbow:

Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, could get a maximum of 19 years, eight months in prison if convicted according to ocregister.com:

Kirby registered a 0.13 blood alcohol level two hours after the fatal crash, said Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez


"It appears that Mr. Kirby lost control of his Porsche and collided into the Ferrari, causing Mr. Lewis to also lose control and crash into the pole," Baez said. "If the first contact hadn’t happened, the Ferrari would not have lost control."

sa_butta
03-13-2009, 04:06 PM
Just saw this now, but truely sad.

desflood
03-15-2009, 07:16 PM
Update:

The Orange County District Attorney's office on Friday filed charges against the driver of a car allegedly involved in a collision that killed Tapout founder Charles Lewis Jr. (better known as "Mask") on March 11 in California.

It's the third DUI offense for Jeffrey David Kirby, a 51-year-old from Costa Mesa who was also convicted of driving under the influence in 2002 and 1985.

On Friday Kirby was charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, and sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims.

Kirby faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months in state prison if convicted.

A Newport Beach Police Department officer who was on patrol the night of the March 11 crash witnessed Kirby's 1977 Porsche traveling at a high rate of speed next to Lewis' 2004 Ferrari. Kirby is accused of losing control of his vehicle due to the excessive speed, which allegedly caused him to collide with the Ferrari.

Lewis ultimately crashed into a utility poll, which totaled the Ferrari and nearly cut it into two pieces. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene. His female companion, 23-year-old Lacy Lynn White, was ejected from the car vehicle and later transferred to the Western Medical Center because of a fractured elbow and several lacerations and abrasions.

Newport Beach Police Department and Orange County Sheriff's Department officials haven't ruled out the possibility of Lewis and Kirby street racing at the time of the crash.

Kirby fled the scene but was apprehended a few blocks from the collision. Kirby, who registered a .13 percent blood-alcohol level two hours after the crash (the legal limit in California is .08), was originally held on $2 million bail, though it was later dropped to $500,000.

Kirby's female companion, 32-year-old Lynn Marie Nabozny of Newport Beach, was charged with public intoxication and released.

Evan
03-15-2009, 07:53 PM
why people still have a license after 2 DUI/DWI's is beyond me

desflood
03-27-2009, 08:26 PM
‘Tapout’ Manslaughter Driver Remains in Jail

Friday, March 27, 2009
by Loretta Hunt ([email protected])


Jeffrey D. Kirby, the man arrested on March 11 in connection with the death of “Tapout” founder Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr., was granted a second continuance upon the request of his defense attorney on Friday at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, Calif.

Kirby, 51, who has two prior convictions for driving under the influence in Nevada and California, has been charged with two felony charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence and faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months if convicted.

Kirby’s arraignment has been re-scheduled for May 5, where he will be expected to enter a plea. His defense had previously been awarded a continuance at his original arraignment on March 13 to have more time to review the case.

The court turned down a request from Kirby’s attorney to reduce his client’s bail of $500,000, said the Orange County District Attorney's Office representative Farrah Emami. Kirby has remained behind bars since his arrest on March 11.

Evan
04-10-2009, 07:30 AM
mask with no stupid make up

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/129790/mask_20no_20paint.jpg

LEONARD
04-11-2009, 10:44 AM
Have never seen him with no make-up...

He had no drugs or alcohol in his system...
http://mmamania.com/2009/04/11/orange-county-district-attorney-clears-charles-mask-lewis-jr-of-any-substance-abuse-during-fatal-crash/

Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Jr. had no drugs or alcohol in his system when he perished in a fatal car crash in the early hours of March 11 according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as reported by the Orange County Register.

Toxicology tests performed by the Orange County Coroner came back negative, reaffirming the testimony from friends and family that Lewis did not drink or take drugs.

Lewis, 45, was killed when his Ferrari collided with a Porsche driven by Jeffrey David Kirby of Costa Mesa. Kirby has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and is facing a possible sentence of more than 19 years if convicted. He’s currently being held on $500,000 bail.

“Mask” helped launch TapouT way back in 1997, with nothing more than a vision and a handful of merchandise — and enough gas in his van to follow fighters across the state of California to promote and sell TapouT clothing.

Now his empire, along with Dan “Punkass” Caldwell and Timothy “Skyskrape” Katz, includes a reality TV show, a line of bottled water, an impressive stable of mixed-martial-arts fighters and of course its massive clothing line, which went from a few thousand dollars in sales back in the late 90’s to over $100 million in 2008.

Lewis will be honored in a memorial service held at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California on April 14. “Simply Believe: A Celebration of Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Jr.” begins at 11am and is open to the public.

desflood
12-09-2010, 10:19 AM
Jeffrey David Kirby, 53, has been found guilty of one felony count of vehicular manslaughter for causing the accident that killed TapouT founder Charles 'Mask' Lewis.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/12/8/1865098/felony-conviction-for-killer-of-tapouts-charles-mask-lewis