Around 10 a.m., a man with a 2-year-old boy and a dog tried to steal a car in the 300 block of North Avenue 52 before running off, leaving both the child and the pet behind, police said. The victim reported that an unidentified man tried to steal his vehicle but fled on foot. Officers searched the area for the suspect but didn't find anyone. The thief abandoned the boy inside the vehicle, officials said, and the dog was found outside.
Gerardo "Jerry" Estrada was killed in the Sept. 19 crash, which remains under investigation. The officer driving was responding to a call in the 6100 block of Piedmont Avenue at 7:15 p.m. and headed north on Figueroa Street to help establish a perimeter while police searched for a felony warrant suspect, said Capt. Mike Bland, a department spokesperson. The officer, Bland said, was driving with their siren on and emergency lights flashing when they hit Estrada.