A mother-of-three remains unconscious for nearly a month and a half after being seriously injured when police were chasing a driver in South Los Angeles.
Now her daughter is talking about the many other activities that have hurt others recently, and she hopes her own mother will pull through.
“She has always worked, she has always supported her three children, she is a single mother,” said Julisa Mercado Reyna, the victim’s daughter.
At least one person has died and nine others have been hospitalized after an accident during a police chase in Long Beach.
Reyna told Telemundo 52 and sister station NBC4 that it was now her turn to be strong for her mother.
Yolanda Reyna, 43, remains unconscious in hospital. His daughter rarely leaves him.
“My mother is a fighter. I told her, ‘Mom, I’m not going to cry anymore because I have to be strong for you. I need you to hear my laugh. I need you to know how well your progress is going,” Reyna said.
She said small improvements, like her mother moving her head or hand slightly, gave her hope. She can’t imagine her mother, who was so full of energy and life, not waking up.
“My mother loves going to concerts, it’s her thing. I don’t think she saw it coming. None of us saw this coming,” Reyna said.
Julisa Reyna says that on February 16, just before 8 p.m., her mother was on her way to a concert at the Kia Forum from her home in South Los Angeles. It was near Main Street and Florence Avenue that her mother encountered the driver of a stolen van that was being chased by LAPD officers from the 77th Division.
“My gut told me to show up at the scene. Finding out all of this myself was heartbreaking because she’s my mom. She’s my best friend,” Reyna said.
Recently released dash cam footage shows the moment the driver rammed Yolanda Reyna into her Scion.
Police arrested the driver, Dashawn Sutton, 43, who has since been charged with multiple crimes. Yolanda Reyna was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. She stays there a month and a half later.
Have you ever wondered who is responsible when an innocent person is killed during a police chase, the suspect or the police?
Her daughter said she was well aware of many other activities in and around Los Angeles that injured or even killed other innocent drivers. She believes that whether or not law enforcement decides to prosecute should depend on the seriousness of the original offence.
“If it was a kidnapper, an armed suspect, things like that, I would understand because it’s a danger to society. But if someone steals a car, it’s not worth it because it’s not just their life, there are other people around too,” Reyna said.
This story first appeared on Telemundo 52’s sister station NBCLA. Click on here to read this story in English.