Couple dies during police persecution; Today family raises funds for funerals and asks for the recovery of the victims' son
At the intersection of Glendora and Cameron avenues, in the city of West Covina, dozens of relatives and friends of Gracie and Edwad Louie Contreras gathered yesterday to make a vigil in memory of both.
Gracie, 53, and Edward, 56, died on October 12 when a jeep that had been stolen rammed them during the early hours of the morning.
Due to the impact, the couple was expelled from the car. His 13-year-old son Jacob, who was also on board, is still hospitalized.
His aunt Martha Delgado, sister of the child's mother, told La Opinión that although the child has already managed to recognize her, she has fractures in the jaw and nose; In addition to a pierta and broken vertebrae.
"I went to see him at the hospital and when I spoke he touched my hand, as a sign that he recognized that the one who spoke to him was his aunt who loves him very much," said Martha, one of five sisters and two brothers, originally from Tijuana, Mexico.
"The doctors have him tied up so he doesn't move … He still doesn't know that his parents died," he said.
At an impromptu altar, surrounded by candles, balloons, floral arrangements and photographs of the deceased, family members and members of the community went to the place to pray for the couple.
“My sister was the best; He was always right in everything he told us, ”said Araceli Contreras, older sister of Gracie. "She was all love."
She, in addition to her sister Gloria, could not contain the tears when they heard the songs "It's too late", performed by the singer Ana Gabriel or "Eternal Love" by Juan Gabriel, which were Gracie Contreras' favorites.
Gracie and Edward met in their childhood and although teenagers had a relationship over time each took separate paths, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. It was recently that they met again and just two years ago they got married.
Martha Delgado said that her niece Fabiola – eldest daughter of Gracie – will determine the day and time of her mother's funeral and said the family has already contacted a lawyer to take charge of the case.
"Someone has to be responsible for these deaths," the woman said between sobs.
Fatal accident
On Saturday, October 12, around 1:00 a.m., the West Covina Police Department (WCPD) received information from the Baldwin Park authorities about the theft of a car.
The vehicle, described as a 2010 Jeep Patriot, was last seen entering the city of West Covina.
WCPD agents located the suspicious vehicle near Durness and Sandy Hook streets around 2:00 a.m.
They indicate that when they tried to stop the jeep, the suspect accelerated and a chase began. When fleeing and crossing Cameron Avenue, he crashed into the couple's burgundy SUV.
Edward Louie Contreras died at the scene and his wife, Gracie, died a short time later in the hospital.
The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was also injured and was transported to a local hospital.
The stolen gray Jeep Patriot ended up overturning during the encounter and kept the tires in the air.
Fundraising
Jacob, 13, had gone to Knott’s Scary Farm. His mother and stepfather, Edward Louie Contreras, were returning home after picking him up from a friend's house when the accident happened.
Octavio Medina, the uncle of the youngest and brother of Gracie, said the boy also has a lung perforation.
To pay for funeral and hospital expenses, a GoFundMe account was opened to raise funds. To make donations you can visit: bit.ly/2VPpNNY
Deadly persecutions
In the period between January 1 and October 16 of this year, the total of police prosecutions in California has been dramatically reduced to 5,056; that is, 54.3% less than in 2018 and 56.4% less than in 2017, according to data from the CA Highway Patrol.
