Victim Of Car Theft Accidentally Killed By Deputy's Car Enroute To Scene
HESPERIA (CBSLA) — Richard Chambers couldn't hold back his emotions, as he talked about his late brother Patrick. The 18-year-old was trying to chase down the man who stole his truck early Wednesday morning, when a deputy's car lost control on the oil-slicked road and struck him.
"He had so much going for him, he was too young," Chambers said. "It's a tragedy, it is. you can't really blame it on anybody, it sucks what happened to him."
Emily Scales had dated Chambers for more than three years. She says even though they were young, they'd already been planning their future together.
"He was an amazing guy, he would have been a great husband, a great father, I miss him with all my heart," Scales said.
A lot of people in the high desert are missing the man they called patchy and having trouble understanding how he died.
Investigators say Chambers was working at the hidden Tavern in Hesperia, when a 20-year-old transient stole his truck. Chambers and a friend followed the truck down Main Street, but the thief lost control trying to turn on E Avenue. Chambers was getting out of his friend's car, when a deputy coming to investigate lost control on some oil that had leaked from the truck, hitting chambers and killing him.
Brian Scales, father of the victim's girlfriend, says it's too early to process all the anger.
"You know I could put my anger at the kid who stole the truck. I could put my anger at the cop who didn't pay attention and ran into him. There's a lot of places I could put my anger. I think right now, we're just going to mourn. We'll deal with that later."
The sheriff's department tells CBSLA the deputy involved in the collision is still working, but very upset about what happened. As for the theft of the truck, Jordan Lee Pence was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon and possession of stolen property