LOS ANGELES—A bicyclist who was fatally struck by a vehicle during a police chase in the South Los Angeles area was identified Thursday, while the motorist remained behind bars.
Jose Monsalve Rojas, 46, a native of Colombia, died at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday near Hooper Avenue and 46th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
A short time earlier, police had gone to the area of 48th Street and Central Avenue in response to a call from a woman whose car had been burglarized the night before. The woman told police she was tracking an electronic device that had been stolen from her car, and led officers to the suspect, who was parked in front of an apartment building in a gold Chevrolet Suburban, according to the LAPD.
“The police positioned their vehicle behind the suspect’s vehicle and activated their police lights,” according to police. “The suspect reacted by quickly accelerating away from the police southbound on Central Avenue. The officers chased after the vehicle and broadcasted they were in pursuit of a ‘burglary from a motor vehicle’ suspect.
The pursuit went through several streets until the suspect collided with a male cyclist crossing Hooper Avenue and 46th Street,“ police said. ”The force of the collision propelled the cyclist to crash into a parked vehicle.
“Despite the collision, the suspect continued driving and collided with a parked vehicle and numerous moving vehicles. Eventually, the suspect’s vehicle was stopped after crashing into a telephone pole at Hooper Avenue and 45th Street. The suspect got out of the vehicle and attempted to evade the police by running away a short distance until police apprehended him.”
The suspect, identified Thursday as 23-year-old Germaine Smith, was booked on suspicion of felony evading causing death, and his bail was set at $327,000, police said.
No other injuries were reported.
