Regarding a deadly hit-and-run that occurred in October of last year and is purportedly connected to a Downey Police Department officer, the city of Downey is being sued.
Attorneys for Raymond Lavalle’s family claim that on October 2, 2024, a “speeding” DPD officer struck him while he was strolling down Cedardale Drive in Santa Fe Springs.
According to the Whittier Daily News, Lavalle, 49, resided in the riverbed along the San Gabriel River Trail, which is close by.
Although there was no information available at the time on the suspected driver, the Whittier Police Department, which looks into events in Santa Fe Springs, stated that Lavalle’s severe chest damage and body abrasions suggested a hit-and-run.
According to Lavalle’s family’s lawyers, the offender was really another police officer who was obligated by law and departmental protocol to pull over and assist the injured pedestrian.
Additionally, the attorneys stated in a news release that Downey police had “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” since the collision.
“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.”
Although city officials acknowledged to Lauren Lyster of KTLA that a DPD officer was involved, they stated that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office chose not to press charges in this “tragic accident” in light of the Whittier Police findings.
“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.”
Additionally, according to municipal officials, the Downey Police Department “extends its deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.”
