Gloria Lopez believes the man shot and killed Saturday by police on a San Diego freeway after a wild chase, was her brother.
“I don’t know what happened. All I know is I got a call saying my brother was involved in a chase,” she said. “That he was shot by police.”
It all started around 9.45 a.m. Saturday when Chula Vista police officers were doing random checks. They ran a license plate in the parking lot of the Good Nite Inn on Bay Boulevard and found out the vehicle was stolen, Capt. Jim Collins said.
Officers waited until a man and woman, identified as Salina Galindo, 34, came to the car, but the man escaped by crashing through a closed fence.
"While the suspect was backing through one of the fences, the female passenger was ejected from the car and has since been taken to the hospital," Collins said.
Police said the male suspect then took off on foot, ending up at Goodrich Aerospace where he beat up an employee, and tried to take his car, but ended up stealing a truck, which he then drove through a parking gate. California Highway Patrol, San Diego police, Chula Vista police and a sheriff’s helicopter gave chase for about 30 minutes on city streets and freeways.
Along the way the suspect clipped several vehicles.
"I've heard as many as ten or more. I don't know, we're still trying to piece this together," Collins said.
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The suspect drove the wrong way twice. The second time, he crashed the truck and then fled on foot again and carjacked the driver of red four door sedan. The driver fled through the passenger door. This time police moved in.
"The suspect indicated he was not going to give up, put the car in drive and rammed the car in front of him," Collins said.
According to investigators, one officer fired at least three shots into the car hitting the suspect who died at the scene.
The southbound lanes of Interstate 805 were shut down for hours, blocking traffic from getting to the U.S./Mexico border.
Gloria Lopez says her brother is troubled, but says he was a good person and father to a teenage daughter.
“He’s not on a straight and narrow,” she said. “He’s my brother, I love him. I just came here to find out what happened.”
The San Diego County Medical Examiner confirms the man killed was 36-years-old, born on February 3, 1973. They will not publicly release his name until an autopsy, scheduled for Monday, is complete.
Lopez said the information matches her brother's birthday and age. Her brother's name is Carlos David Martinez.
Galindo was charged with possession of stolen property.
