During a vigil this Saturday, the community of street vendors and dozens of residents of south-central Los Angeles showed solidarity with the relatives of José Rangel, who lost his life this week when he was hit by a truck that had apparently been stolen.
“Thank you for your affection and love for my husband… Thank you for your prayers and help,” said Sonia Rangel, José’s widow and who came to the vigil, organized in the place where the tragedy happened, along with her brothers Rubén. and Samuel De León, and their son Pablo.
In front of them was an improvised altar with candles, balloons and photographs of the 67-year-old man, who died last Thursday, February 17.
“I thank those who are supporting my sister and my nephew in these moments of pain,” said Rubén de León. “Thank you also for your prayers.”
He said that for his brother-in-law, José Rangel from Puebla, his son Pablo was special not only because of the young man’s needs due to Down syndrome but “because he knew that he [José] She always had to take care of him… Although she had already retired, she kept working to support her son, but who is going to take care of him now?” she wondered.
chain incidents
Around 2:15 p.m., a man – identified as Cristian Ramos Sanchez, 37, of Los Angeles – was driving an Amazon truck that had apparently been stolen, authorities said.
They added that in addition to killing Rangel, the suspect also injured two other pedestrians.
The suspect is believed to have struck a parked vehicle which, by the force of the impact, pushed another car into other parked cars, resulting in an accordion-style crash.
The truck ended up going over the sidewalk, hitting the three pedestrians and stopping after hitting a building – in the same place where José Rangel used to set up his roadside stand, in the 4771 block of South Main Street, where he sold everything. type of goods.
“Here, we all know each other; we are all united,” said Margarita Ramos, a street vendor from Chiapas, Mexico, who came yesterday to pray the rosary for the repose of José Rangel’s soul.
“Working on the streets is dangerous, but we have to do it to survive.”
After colliding, witnesses indicated that the suspect fled on foot; however, he was later taken into custody in the area of 51st and Broadway and after being booked, bail was set at $85,000.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Mexican immigrant did not survive the blunt force injuries he suffered from the impact of the truck.
The Amazon company truck had been reported stolen from an area, located between Woodlawn Avenue and 41st Place, near the Gilbert Lindsay Recreation Center,
According to preliminary reports from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the suspect drove the truck to the area east of 48th Street and south of Main Street, where it crashed. “We only arrested him,” Agent Rosario Cervantes, spokesperson for the LAPD, told La Opinion without specifying further details.
Sánchez was charged with a felony due to hit and run (something in English known as hit and run). He is being held at the Twin Towers County Jail for Men.
“I understand that he is scheduled to be processed on February 22,” added Cervantes. This will be in Department 30 of the Clara Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Under the law, the suspect faces imprisonment in a state or county prison for not more than one year, or a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000, or imprisonment and a fine.
A prayer vigil
With rosary beads in hand, Victoria Javier and Dely Quiñones led the prayers that were followed by dozens of people. “We do it so that his soul rests in peace,” said Mrs. Victoria.
This act of compassion was appreciated by Samuel De León, José Rangel’s brother-in-law, who also criticized the Amazon company for not equipping its vehicles with an anti-theft system.
“Their vehicles should be equipped with a system so that they do not start quickly so that no thief steals them,” he said. “Your drivers should have a key so that when they get out they can lock it…I was a truck driver, I made coffee deliveries, but I never left my truck unlocked.”
Edin Enamorado, an activist in favor of street vendors, reported that District 9 councilman Curren Price Jr. has offered to help José Rangel’s family financially for burial expenses.
“My father was a hard-working man who always cared about providing for his family, which was exactly what he was doing that day. [del accidente]… I hope that he has not suffered, all this is still unreal for me, ”his son wrote on the GoFundMe portal.
Source-laopinion.com