Memorial held for man struck and killed while on bike by driver fleeing from police in Irwindale

IRWINDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- Friends and loved ones held an emotional memorial for a father of two who was killed while on his bicycle training for an upcoming event by a driver being chased by police.

Raul Castañeda was struck and killed by a driver in a Land Rover fleeing from police. Family and friends gathered Friday for a memorial, which was so large that officers in Irwindale had to shut down the street so the people could safely grieve.

With deep pain and tears, loved ones signed a white-painted bicycle in honor of Castañeda, an avid cyclist from San Gabriel.

"To me it didn't have to happen this way. But it did. So now we are left holding the shattered pieces and we're left figuring out how to come together," said the victim's brother, Russell Castañeda Calleros.

Calleros was among the dozens expressing anger, frustration and sadness over how the pursuit suspect violently took Castañeda's life.

Just before 8:30 p.m. on July 9, police received a report of a suspect stealing a car from a Toyota dealership in the 3500 block of Peck Road in El Monte. The stolen car appeared to be a Land Rover.

Investigators say the suspect led El Monte police on a chase before the crash.

The chase continued off Arrow Highway in Irwindale where Castañeda and his friends were at a crosswalk with their bicycles. His cousin Oscar witnessed Castañeda's final moments.

"We were at a light it was red. We hit the signal to turn green and we started going and the car ran the light," said Oscar Legaspi. "It missed me and my other friend and it got him. He was the one in the middle."

"He's just a really great guy, a great friend. Someone you could just call and depend on for anything," Legaspi said.

Officers eventually captured the suspect. Irwindale police arrested Jonathan Calixto, 29, of Hanford, and charged him with murder.

"I hope at one point down the road he can forgive himself and that he can be forgiven by those who he's hurt the most," said Calleros.

Castañeda had just turned 50 years old a couple of days before he was killed. The family set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses.