Community Corner

At 13, Crash Victim Was Truly Unique

Fundraising efforts are underway to help the boy's family. His mom and brother were also injured in weekend crash.

Maximillion Petrakos carried a black briefcase instead of a backpack, and donned a black fedora. He was tall and stalky. He looked more like a young man than he did a young teen, those who knew him said.

But the seventh grader at didn't have a chance to grow up. He was killed Sunday morning in a tragic crash on the Pomona Freeway that hospitalized his mother and younger brother, a fifth grader at Grant Elementary School.

"He was quite the character," said parent Alexandria Alamango, whose son was best friends with the eccentric 13-year-old.

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Alamango remembered him Wednesday as confident and talented, too.

He loved being on stage. Using the nickname "Baxter Daniels," he performed stand up comedy, sometimes at local venues such as the .

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"I don't get the Civil War, because did they like write each other letters saying they don't like each other? What makes a war civil?" he jokes in one routine documented on a YouTube video.

In another, he's filmed crooning hallelujah. Below the video, commenters have posting "RIPs" and "miss you's."

Lincoln Principal Suzanne Webb remembered Petrakos as a bright kid, with lots of ideas and lots of questions. She called him a true thinker.

"He didn’t really care if he was the same as everyone else," Webb said. "He was very much an individual."

Petrakos was killed about 12:40 a.m. in Hacienda Heights. He was standing with his mom by their disabled car on the 60 Freeway .

"Their mother is in critical condition. Alex is in the hospital now, but will be joining us for Graduation on June 13th," Grant PTA wrote in an email Tuesday to parents.

The loss has devastated Alamango's son, she said. Webb said grief counselors are helping students cope.

Alamango has set up an account—"The Max Petrakos Trust Fund"—to pay for the boy's funeral. Checks can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Lincoln Middle School at 1501 California Ave.

Grant PTA is accepting donations to help the family purchase groceries, gas, medical equipment and the like. Cash or cheeks made should be made payable to Grant Booster Club with "Petrakos" written in the memo line. Grant is at 2368 Pearl St.

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