Oscar and Martha, the brother and sister of Carlos Sanchez
Two years after the death of 42 year old Carlos Sanchez, his family gathered at the spot where he died to commemorate him.
At the spot, adjacent to the 125 Freeway, five minutes from a hospital, a simple white cross stands bearing his name, surrounded by bouquets of dandelions. His sister, Martha, used her time to humanize her brother and talked about what type of a person he was.
"Carlos was a very, very good man. He touched and enriched our lives in so many different ways. He held so many qualities: selflessness, smarts, he was a good listener, he always seemed to have the right thing to say and make you laugh."
"I try not to think of it, but I do think of it everyday" said their brother Oscar, "I've had suicidal thoughts". Oscar observed how police have become more militarized since he was young and how he's now afraid of them and avoids them at all costs.
After the family spoke, they spent some time answering media questions.
On the evening of September 23, 2016, Sanchez went out to get some food on his motorcycle. Chula Vista police claims that he was driving on the wrong side of the road and attempted to pull him over.
"He went out for a sandwich from our house. He didn't come home", said Martha, "Two police officers chased him at over 100 miles per hour". She also noted that body cams and dash cams were not on.
Sanchez crashed into the back of a truck and hit a tree. According to police scanners, CPR was not immediately performed on him. He died on the scene. "The police notified us at 4am after he had died at 9:47 at night" said Martha.
High speed chases are extremely dangerous. In 1987,National City police chased a car going the wrong way on the 5 Freeway and ended up crashing into a pickup truck that flipped over. A CHP report blamed National City police for the accident. In 2017, a Los Angeles grand jury concluded that police chases are "causing unnecessary bystander injuries and deaths".
Martha and Oscar want to push for new laws against that limits police pursuits, "We will be fighting for a 'no chase' law, transparency for the police department and accountability."
At the spot, adjacent to the 125 Freeway, five minutes from a hospital, a simple white cross stands bearing his name, surrounded by bouquets of dandelions. His sister, Martha, used her time to humanize her brother and talked about what type of a person he was.
"Carlos was a very, very good man. He touched and enriched our lives in so many different ways. He held so many qualities: selflessness, smarts, he was a good listener, he always seemed to have the right thing to say and make you laugh."
"I try not to think of it, but I do think of it everyday" said their brother Oscar, "I've had suicidal thoughts". Oscar observed how police have become more militarized since he was young and how he's now afraid of them and avoids them at all costs.
After the family spoke, they spent some time answering media questions.
On the evening of September 23, 2016, Sanchez went out to get some food on his motorcycle. Chula Vista police claims that he was driving on the wrong side of the road and attempted to pull him over.
"He went out for a sandwich from our house. He didn't come home", said Martha, "Two police officers chased him at over 100 miles per hour". She also noted that body cams and dash cams were not on.
Sanchez crashed into the back of a truck and hit a tree. According to police scanners, CPR was not immediately performed on him. He died on the scene. "The police notified us at 4am after he had died at 9:47 at night" said Martha.
High speed chases are extremely dangerous. In 1987,National City police chased a car going the wrong way on the 5 Freeway and ended up crashing into a pickup truck that flipped over. A CHP report blamed National City police for the accident. In 2017, a Los Angeles grand jury concluded that police chases are "causing unnecessary bystander injuries and deaths".
Martha and Oscar want to push for new laws against that limits police pursuits, "We will be fighting for a 'no chase' law, transparency for the police department and accountability."
The video of the memorial, by UAPTSD can be seen here.
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