Trooper dies in crash during 140-mph chase, Georgia officials say. Biker is sentenced
A motorcyclist accused of leading a high-speed chase that killed a Georgia state trooper earlier this year is headed to prison, prosecutors said.
Gerson Danilo Ayala-Rodriguez, 21, was given a 17-year sentence Wednesday, Aug. 14, after he pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the death of Trooper Jimmy Cenescar, according to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
He was also convicted on charges of reckless driving, speeding, two counts of driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance and operating an unregistered vehicle, prosecutors said.
Cenescar was trying to stop a speeding motorcyclist Jan. 28 when he lost control of his patrol car on Interstate 85, authorities said. He veered off the road and down a steep embankment, hitting shrubbery, a street sign and a retaining wall, according to the attorney’s office.
He was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries.
“We tragically lost a young State Trooper as a result of the defendant’s reckless driving,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a news release.
“Ultimately, the defendant accepted responsibility for his actions in this, although it cannot bring back Trooper Cenescar.”
Before the crash, authorities said Cenescar spotted Ayala-Rodriguez traveling “at a high rate of speed” on a Honda CBR 1000 motorcycle. The trooper turned on his lights and sirens to initiate a stop, but the biker took off, according to prosecutors.
Ayala-Rodriguez hit speeds of 140 mph, weaving in and out of traffic as he fled the state trooper, prosecutors said. At one point, officials said he split lanes, forcing Cenescar to swerve to avoid hitting two cars.
“The patrol car yawned to the right and went over the east shoulder where it struck the guardrail and careened down the embankment,” prosecutors said.
‘Dedicated public servant’
Cenescar joined the Georgia Department of Public Safety in January 2023 and was remembered as a “man of faith” and “dedicated public servant,” according to his obituary.
The Haiti-born officer previously worked for the Atlanta Police Department and was once praised for saving a driver who drove off a bridge. He was a few months shy of graduating with his college degree before the fatal crash.
“May his legacy of courage, compassion, and dedication continue to inspire us all,” the obituary said. “He will be deeply missed but forever cherished in our hearts.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2024 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Trooper dies in crash during 140-mph chase, Georgia officials say. Biker is sentenced."