A fatal car collision between a Stockton, California police car and SUV last week led to the death of a Filipino American.
28-year-old Titus Vanguardia Tabotabo III was driving alone on his way home from work last Wednesday and crashed with a police car at the intersection of Martin Luther King Junior and Airport Way, reports ABSCBN News. The police car was responding to reports about a shooting.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. The police car, containing two police officers, was pursuing possible suspects and had its sirens and lights on before the collision, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Silva.
Tabotabo was taken to the hospital immediately after the car accident but died hours later. The two officers, Nestor Velasquez and John Strawder, were injured and remain hospitalized.
Velasquez, who was driving the patrol car, has been on the force for two years while Strawder for only one year, according to Recordnet.com.
The scene of the collision was blocked off to investigate what happened and how fast the cars were going. No suspects, however, were found in the original calls about shots being fired, abc10.com reports.
Family and friends were contacted by the police about Tabotabo’s death but requested privacy. Victor Almager, captain of the Oak Park Tennis Team that Tabatabo’s father and brother were involved in, told Recordnet.com Tabotabo will be missed.
“I’m devastated. Many of us are. … It is a very difficult time. I think we are just going to be mourning with them; they are just beautiful people,” Almager said. “We love the family.”
Velasquez and Strawder have been put on a three-day administrative paid leave since the incident.
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