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Jose Antonio Garcia

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 07/18/2022

Location : 8600 block of FM 969 near Decker Lane

City : Austin

County : Travis

State : Texas

Agency : Austin Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed in FARS police-related roadway fatality; exact police involvement not publicly confirmed

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: No police pursuit has been established. Austin police officers observed the vehicle traveling southbound on Decker Lane at high speed and being driven recklessly shortly before the crash. The available public record does not establish that officers attempted a traffic stop or pursued the vehicle.
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NARRATIVE:
On 07/18/2022, 22-year-old Jose Antonio Garcia was fatally injured while riding as a passenger in a vehicle driven by 20-year-old Reinaldo Manuel Rodriguez in Austin.
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Shortly before the crash, Austin Police Department officers observed the vehicle traveling southbound on Decker Lane at a high rate of speed and being driven recklessly.
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At approximately 1:46 a.m., Rodriguez lost control of the vehicle in the 8600 block of FM 969 near Decker Lane. The vehicle left the roadway and crashed.
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Garcia and Rodriguez were transported to hospitals. Garcia subsequently died from his injuries.
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Investigators determined that Rodriguez had been driving while intoxicated. Rodriguez was arrested and charged in connection with Garcia's death.
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Rodriguez subsequently pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter. In May 2024, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
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The available public reporting establishes that Austin police observed the vehicle shortly before the fatal crash but does not establish that officers activated emergency equipment, attempted to stop Rodriguez, followed the vehicle as part of an enforcement action or engaged in a pursuit. The exact basis for the FARS police-related coding therefore remains unresolved.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
No Austin Police Department officer has been publicly identified as initiating or participating in a police pursuit preceding Garcia's crash.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.visionzeroatx.org/2022-fatalities/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-receives-5-years-related-162025820.html