Horrific footage of Los Angeles Police Department dash cams reveals a harrowing moment when an officer's reckless driving ended the life of 30-year-old skateboarder Gerardo "Jerry" Estrada.
The body-wrenching scene unfolded on September 19th, as officers in a cruiser were responding to a call for assistance while chasing after a suspect with a felony warrant. Weaving through traffic and disregarding lanes, the officers' vehicle cut across the road without warning, sending Estrada crashing head-on into its path.
The disturbing footage shows one of the officers shouting "Watch out! Look out!" mere seconds before the collision, which left Estrada mortally wounded. The officer's reaction immediately after the crash – calling for an ambulance and exclaiming "Male, not conscious, not breathing" – only adds to the tragedy.
Eyewitnesses' urgent pleas for help can be heard in the background as they desperately tried to intervene on Estrada's behalf. His family has since expressed their outrage, demanding accountability from the officers involved and calling for justice.
Grim details have emerged about Estrada's final moments. The young man was on his way home from work, with a "passion for film and media" that saw him graduate from Santa Monica College and work at Wurstküche in LA's arts district. His family describes him as a kind-hearted soul who would go out of his way to help others.
The Los Angeles Police Department has acknowledged the incident and is conducting an investigation, with Capt Mike Bland stating that it will take months to complete. However, the department's lack of transparency regarding the officers' identities and the speed of their vehicle at the time of the collision has only fueled public concern.
As the community grapples with this senseless tragedy, calls for police reform and greater accountability are growing louder. The staggering reality that more than 3,300 lives have been lost to police chases across the US in recent years serves as a grim reminder of the need for urgent change.
The body-wrenching scene unfolded on September 19th, as officers in a cruiser were responding to a call for assistance while chasing after a suspect with a felony warrant. Weaving through traffic and disregarding lanes, the officers' vehicle cut across the road without warning, sending Estrada crashing head-on into its path.
The disturbing footage shows one of the officers shouting "Watch out! Look out!" mere seconds before the collision, which left Estrada mortally wounded. The officer's reaction immediately after the crash – calling for an ambulance and exclaiming "Male, not conscious, not breathing" – only adds to the tragedy.
Eyewitnesses' urgent pleas for help can be heard in the background as they desperately tried to intervene on Estrada's behalf. His family has since expressed their outrage, demanding accountability from the officers involved and calling for justice.
Grim details have emerged about Estrada's final moments. The young man was on his way home from work, with a "passion for film and media" that saw him graduate from Santa Monica College and work at Wurstküche in LA's arts district. His family describes him as a kind-hearted soul who would go out of his way to help others.
The Los Angeles Police Department has acknowledged the incident and is conducting an investigation, with Capt Mike Bland stating that it will take months to complete. However, the department's lack of transparency regarding the officers' identities and the speed of their vehicle at the time of the collision has only fueled public concern.
As the community grapples with this senseless tragedy, calls for police reform and greater accountability are growing louder. The staggering reality that more than 3,300 lives have been lost to police chases across the US in recent years serves as a grim reminder of the need for urgent change.
and i'm still trying to wrap my head around it - 30 years young, with his whole life ahead of him, and now he's gone due to some cops being reckless on the road 
. what was going through their minds, man? did they really think it was okay to just speed up like that without warning anyone? 
this is exactly why we need police reform - these kinds of incidents are way too common and it's time for change 
. the family's right to demand justice and accountability from the officers involved, i don't care what their badge says 
. we gotta do better than this as a society 
.
On one hand, it's super obvious that the officer was reckless and shouldn't have been driving like that in the first place. Like, come on, prioritize Jerry's life, you know? 
It's not like we're asking for much...
I just saw this news about Gerardo Estrada and I'm still trying to process it. As a skateboarder myself, I know how much passion and joy that sport brings. Jerry was more than just an athlete; he was a creative soul with a big heart 
. The footage is just heartbreaking - those officers' reckless driving could've been prevented with some basic training and caution. I'm all for police reform and greater accountability, but this incident feels like a slap in the face to the entire skate community 
. We need change now, not months from now. Where was that investigation going so slow? 
and to think they're saying it'll take months to figure out who's at fault is just, no way 
and I'm so done with them not being transparent about the officers involved 
this is just another example of police brutality that needs to stop 
. Gerardo's family deserves so much justice, and I'm all for it 
. Can't believe how many lives have been lost because of this, over 3,300? That's insane 
i'm all for police reform and accountability because lets face it u got people like gerardo dying every day because of reckless cops 
. The officer's reaction after the crash is just SHOOK, calling for an ambulance & shouting "Male, not conscious, not breathing"... meanwhile, eyewitnesses are desperately trying to help Estrada in the background 
it's way too high! & with over 3,300 lives lost to police chases across the US since 2020... it's time for some serious reform 
. stats show that:
. it makes you realize that our lives are precious and fragile, we gotta look out for each other & make sure our law enforcement is doing the same 
. we need to keep pushing for police reform so that something like this never happens again 
we need real change NOW.
. And to think those officers were supposed to be protecting him instead of putting his life in danger 
it's not right, it's never going to be okay 
. The fact that the officer who shouted "Watch out!" was basically seconds away from causing the crash is just crazy 
. I'm all for police reform, but we need to see some real change ASAP 
He sounds like such a kind soul... this tragedy is just so senseless 
. And can't the LAPD just be more open about what happened?! 
This lack of transparency is just adding fuel to the fire 
.
. He didn't deserve this at all 
. We gotta keep pushing for change 
. This guy was just minding his own business skateboarding and then BAM! He's gone 
... what's the value of one life, anyway? 
