Founder Of Popular Clothing Line Dies In Crash

The founder of popular clothing line, Tapout Clothing, Inc., Charles Lewis Jr., better known to fans of mixed martial arts as “Mask,” died of the personal injuries he suffered in a hit-and-run accident on the morning of March 11 in Newport Beach, California.

Lewis was Tapout’s founder as well as the face of its popular reality show on the cable network “Versus.” His death was confirmed by several sources within the company.

A Newport Beach Police cruiser spotted Lewis’ red Ferrari and a white Porsche driving out of control shortly before 1 a.m., according to Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. public information officer Lt. Jim Amormino.

The Ferrari hit the curb and collided with a street light, which tore the vehicle in half. The Porsche came to a brief stop before fleeing the scene.

An unidentified female passenger was ejected from the Ferrari during the crash. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene by Newport Beach paramedics.

Newport Beach police later located the Porsche and stopped its passengers, a male and female, who they had spotted walking away from the vehicle.

Officers determined the male, 51-year-old Costa Mesa, California resident Jeffrey David Kirby, to be the driver of the Porsche.

Police arrested Kirby on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and took him to the Newport Beach Police Department. His female passenger, 32-year-old Newport Beach resident Lynn Marie Nabozny, was arrested on charges of public intoxication. She was released later that morning.

Kirby’s bail was set at $1 million. The results of a blood-alcohol test are pending. Amormino said that no further motives for the accident were known as of March 11.