The city of Downey is facing a lawsuit related to a fatal hit-and-run last October that allegedly involved a Downey Police Department officer.
On Oct. 2, 2024, Raymond Lavalle was walking down Cedardale Drive in Santa Fe Springs when he was hit by a “speeding” DPD officer, according to attorneys for Lavalle’s family.
Lavalle, 49, lived in the riverbed along the nearby San Gabriel River Trail, according to the Whittier Daily News.
At the time, the Whittier Police Department, which investigates incidents in Santa Fe Springs, said Lavalle’s serious chest injury and abrasions on his body indicated a hit-and-run, but no information about the suspected driver was available.
As the attorneys for Lavalle’s family explain, the culprit was actually another law enforcement officer who was required both by law and department policy to stop and help the injured pedestrian.
Since the crash, Downey police have “actively engaged in ‘covering up’ the actions of the officer involved, as no press release has been issued to inform the public, nor have any criminal charges been brought against the Officer involved in the hit-and-run,” the attorneys added in a news release.
“This family was kept in the dark for many months about the circumstances around the death of their father,” said attorney Michael Carrillo in a Tuesday press conference. “Information had to be pulled from this department because they never contacted this family to let them know that a Downey Police Department officer, while on duty, struck him, killed him and left him there to die like a dog.”
City officials confirmed to KTLA’s Lauren Lyster that a DPD officer was involved but said based on the Whittier Police findings, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges in this “tragic accident.”
“The collision occurred at low speed in a dark area with poor visibility while the officer was pursuing a suspect who was actively evading the police,” the city’s statement said. “After turning southbound from Telegraph Road into an entrance to the San Gabriel River Trail, the officer’s vehicle struck a pedestrian seated in the roadway. The officer was not aware of the collision, and the victim was later pronounced deceased on the scene.”
The Downey Police Department also “extends its deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” city officials said.
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