CHP Honors Fallen Motorcycle Officer As Questions Surround Deadly Pursuit

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Victor Tovar stood in front of the makeshift memorial set up for his former colleague and friend, Officer Lucas Chellew, and just shook his head.

"He was just a good guy just like everybody else. He loved his motor," said Tovar.

Tovar says he dispatched for Chellew, but he wishes he knew more about what happened before the officer crashed his motorcycle and died, while in pursuit of a suspect.

Broken glass marks the area where the officer's motorcycle ended up before witnesses say his lifeless body hit a pole a few feet away.

"I saw the man lay on the sidewalk that's it," said a woman who lives near the crash site.

CHP investigators either don't know or haven't said why the officer chased the suspect and how he crashed. What is certain is the frustration in the community, because the suspect involved didn't stop.

"I just want to know why people are trying to get away from police," a man said the night of the crash.

Investigators may be able to glean something from nearby surveillance cameras.

Three cameras are mounted at the gas station, across the street, and a Sacramento police camera is positioned above Fruitridge Road and Stockton Boulevard, not far from the scene of the crash.

But still few answers to explain the sudden loss of a 7 year veteran of the CHP, whose love for the job will never be forgotten.

"He died doing what he loved," said Tovar.