Car Burglar Leads LAPD on Deadly High Speed Chase

Los Angeles: On April 25, 2024, at 6:18 a.m., Newton Area officers received a radio call for a “Burglary from Motor Vehicle, Suspect There Now” at a gas station located at Gage and Broadway. The suspect was described as a Black male driving a gold Chevrolet Suburban. The previous night’s victim of a Burglary from a Motor Vehicle informed police that she was tracking an electronic device stolen from her vehicle. The officers located the suspect inside a gold suburban parked in front of an apartment building at 48th and Central. The police positioned their vehicle behind the suspect’s vehicle and activated their police lights. 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. 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 driver of the vehicle was arrested for Felony Evading. The cyclist sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. The Los Angeles County Coroner responded and identified the victim. During the suspect’s vehicle impound, a bag containing cash, an electronic device, and several identification cards belonging to different people were recovered.

The suspect is identified as Germaine Smith, DOB 02-19-2001, and was booked for 2800.3 (F) Felony Evading, Causing Death; his bail amount was set for $150,000 plus additional warrants for a total of $327,000. The victim is Jose David Monsalve Rojas, DOB 06-23-77, a native of Columbia.

The Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigation Team (MCIT) responded to the scene to conduct the Traffic Crash Report.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Traffic Group Detectives at 213-486-0690. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-2228477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also visit www.lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip.