In a tragic turn of events in South Los Angeles, Jose Monsalve Rojas, a 46-year-old Colombian native, was killed while riding his bicycle when he was hit by a vehicle involved in a police pursuit. The incident occurred near Hooper Avenue and 46th Street at about 6:20 a.m. on Wednesday.
The LAPD reported that the chase began shortly after they responded to a burglary call at 48th Street and Central Avenue, where a woman’s car had been broken into the previous night. She had tracked an electronic device stolen from her vehicle, leading officers to a suspect parked in a gold Chevrolet Suburban in front of an apartment building.
When police attempted to approach the vehicle, the suspect, driving the Suburban, rapidly fled the scene, instigating a police chase southbound on Central Avenue. The pursuit continued through several local streets, reaching a harrowing climax when the suspect collided with Rojas, who was crossing at Hooper Avenue and 46th Street. The impact was so severe that Rojas was thrown into a parked vehicle and died at the scene.
Despite the fatal collision, the suspect continued to flee, striking a parked vehicle and several others in motion, before ultimately crashing into a telephone pole at Hooper Avenue and 45th Street.
Source: MyNewsLA.com