Dr Marvin Boomer Obituary, Death; – The Bay Area was already engaged in a vigorous discussion regarding the justification of high-speed police chases, especially in instances involving minor offenses. However, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) operates independently of the laws of any Bay Area cities, allowing them to participate in the high-speed car chase in Oakland on May 28, which resulted in the tragic death of Dr. Marvin Boomer, a math teacher at an Oakland high school.
As the circumstances surrounding Dr. Boomer’s death continue to intensify the ongoing debate about police chases (and with a lawsuit against the CHP being pursued by his family), KTVU has reported that the CHP has made available footage of the prolonged car chase, which can be viewed below.
“On behalf of the entire CHP family, I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr. Marvin Boomer, who lost his life due to the actions of the fleeing suspect, and we also wish for a swift recovery for those who sustained injuries,” stated Shawna Pacheco, assistant chief of the Golden Gate division of the CHP, at the start of the video. Among those injured was Boomer’s partner, Nina Woodruff.
As assistant chief Pacheco elaborates, the CHP received a report at 7:25 pm regarding an allegedly stolen Infiniti G35 spotted in East Oakland. Two officers in a single CHP patrol vehicle attempted to apprehend the driver, 18-year-old Eric Hernandez Garcia. They ceased pursuit, as Pacheco noted, “due to the reckless manner in which Hernandez Garcia was operating the vehicle, which caused the pursuing officers to lose visual contact with him.” The vehicle remained untracked for an additional 13 minutes while Hernandez Garcia entered the I-880 freeway, heading towards Lake Merritt.
Eventually, a helicopter located Hernandez Garcia’s vehicle when he parked on Fifth Street. Officers approached, but he managed to re-enter the vehicle and escape once more. Shortly thereafter, Garcia collided with a minivan and continued to flee at “extremely high speeds,” while the CHP helicopter continued to monitor his movements.
It was at this point that Garcia’s vehicle struck a fire hydrant, a tree, and a parked car, leading to the involvement of Dr. Boomer and…
