Another Traffic Stop by Police Ends in the Death of an Unarmed Person

GUEST OPINION

An image from a YouTube stream (Photo – Screengrab)

On July 31^st at ~9:00 pm, after a traffic stop led to a brief pursuit into the neighboring city of Rosemead, two San Gabriel police officers opened fire on the occupant of the vehicle. Indications at this time are the victim was unarmed and still inside the vehicle when over 20 shots were fired, killing him. The case is being investigated under AB 1506, a law that requires the California Justice Department to investigate “all incidents of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian”.

By Chasity Jennings-Nuñez

Initially, the only information released by the San Gabriel Police Department (SGPD) was that the shooting death occurred and that it had been reported to the CA Department of Justice as required. The City of San Gabriel has not released any statements or information. A news report by CBS News on August 2^nd, obtained information from the LA Coroner’s office identifying the victim as 50-year-old, Pedro Meza Diaz and the reason for the attempted traffic stop as “reckless driving.” The officers involved were not injured.

The officers pursued Diaz outside of San Gabriel. It doesn’t appear that they felt threatened enough to call for back-up or to wait for back-up if they did call before leaving the safety of their vehicle. It seems that Mr. Diaz was inside of his vehicle in a location that was close to his home. An ABC7 news reporter spoke with a witness who heard the shots in his neighborhood, only to discover that his brother-in-law was part of the scene. I don’t know what the circumstances were that led to the police attempting to stop Mr. Diaz. I do know that the officers were not in the active pursuit of someone who had just killed another person. There has been no mention of Mr. Diaz firing at the officers and I don’t know of a single violation that would warrant a summary killing in the streets.

San Gabriel and San Gabriel Valley, why aren’t we talking about another police traffic stop ending in the killing of an unarmed person? And yes, that person is a member of a racial minority that is disproportionately the victim in this type of scenario.

Why did the SGPD choose to continue this pursuit? Why did they get out of their vehicle and open fire on someone who was still inside of their vehicle? Where is the bodycam footage? Why hasn’t the San Gabriel City Council provided any information to the community?

Data from a YouTube stream (Photo – Screengrab)

Data from the 2022 Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory report (RIPA)

This is an analysis of the stop data for over 500 law enforcement agencies in California as mandated by AB 953. The data that was presented to the San Gabriel HEAR Commission was for the 2022 stops in San Gabriel. The 2022 RIPA report was the first year the SGPD was required to participate and the most recent data available at the time of the meeting, according to Chief Elizalde. It mirrored the state-wide data that showed that individuals perceived as Black or Latino were stopped at higher rates than those perceived to be White or Asian.

• Fact: Black residents make up ~ 1% of the residents of San Gabriel, yet they are 4% of the stops by the SGPD.
• Fact: Latinos are ~25% of the resident population in San Gabriel, but make up 40% of the stops.

The commissioners had a collaborative discussion with Chief Elizalde who was receptive and willing to return to address our concerns and questions.

At the next meeting of the San Gabriel city council on March 5^th, Menchaca called for the dissolution of the commission. None of the concerns raised by the commission about police stops or the RIPA data have been addressed by the city council. The 2023 and 2024 RIPA reports have been released by the State, and despite requirements to do so, the reports have not been presented to the city council or the public. It took two years and persistent requests by the HEAR Commission and concerned residents to get the 2022 RIPA data presented. Now, the SGPD has been involved in the shooting death of an unarmed resident as a result of a traffic stop.

I don’t know Mr. Pedro Diaz’s background. His brother-in-law’s statement to ABC7 news, “everybody has problems at some point in their lives” indicates that he doesn’t have a spotless past, but he was a husband, a father, and people cared for and depended on him. We all, law enforcement included, should be held accountable for our actions.