As we previously reported, a skateboarder was killed by LAPD Cruiser while skating the streets in Figueroa Street near Sycamore Grove Park.
DONATE NOW: Family Launches GoFundMe After Skateboarder Fatally Struck by LAPD Vehicle
Now, new footage from LAPD shows the moment Gerardo “Jerry” Estrada, 30, got hit and killed by a police cruiser in Highland Park.
The video, from September 19 around 7:15 at night, shows the cops weaving through traffic with their sirens on, at one point drifting into the center lane like they didn’t care. Meanwhile, the officers are talking like it’s just another day.
Jerry was coming down the street and didn’t have time to react before the cruiser slammed into him head-on. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His family told ABC7 he had just been heading home from work.
Captain Mike Bland from LAPD said the officers were helping with a perimeter while the department searched for someone with a felony warrant.
The dash-cam catches one officer yelling “Watch out! Look out!” right before the hit. Jerry lifts his hand like he’s trying to move, but it’s too late. After the crash, one officer is cursing while another calls for an ambulance, saying the man is not conscious and not breathing. People on the street are screaming at the cops, telling them to do something, some saying, “What the f*ck is wrong with you?” and “There’s somebody dying.”
LAPD says the officers did help him and that the investigation will take months. They haven’t said who was driving or how fast the cruiser was going. No one knows why the cops were in the wrong lane when the road was clear.
Jerry’s family and the community are hurting and demanding answers. His mom, Rosa Cazares, said, “He was a great son, brother, uncle. Always happy, always good to us.” His brother, Alberto, added, “We want justice. We want them to take responsibility. To kill him in front of a carnival… what if it was kids crossing the street? They were speeding.”
Jerry went to Santa Monica College and worked at Wurstküche, a beer garden in LA’s arts district. Friends and family say he loved film and media and had a heart of gold. A GoFundMe page says he was always ready to help anyone and was deeply loved by everyone around him.
Police chases and crashes like this have caused a lot of deaths across the country. A San Francisco Chronicle report says over 3,300 people died from police chases between 2017 and 2022. LAPD has also faced heat recently after officers shot at people on three straight days, raising questions about how they use force.
The footage has got people talking about cops driving reckless, keeping neighborhoods safe, and who pays when people like Jerry die. Families like his are still waiting for answers while the investigation drags on.