Man killed on freeway was spray-painting graffiti
February 18, 2009 | 10:59
am
A 25-year-old man who had just spray-painted over a sign was hit and killed by a car this morning as he ran across Interstate 5 north of downtown Los Angeles, authorities said.
Jaime Herrera of Los Angeles was running east across the northbound lanes near the Los Angeles River when he was struck by a silver Toyota Camry about 4:30 a.m., said Lt. Cheryl MacWillie of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
“He had just finished tagging a freeway sign when he attempted to run across the freeway,” MacWillie said. “There was another friend with him tagging, but he survived.” The freeway was backed up for miles this morning as three lanes were closed for more than an hour.
Read an earlier post on the man killed on the freeway.
-- Corina Knoll
well... thats one way to stop these guys from tagging.
Posted by: kevin | February 18, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Darwin strikes again.
Posted by: dave | February 18, 2009 at 11:07 AM
I feel sorry for the driver. But the retard that got kill...LOL!!!
Posted by: Jason Marshall | February 18, 2009 at 11:10 AM
I guess he got pay back
Posted by: tony | February 18, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Well, at least he died doing what he loved!
Posted by: Chad | February 18, 2009 at 11:18 AM
good, let the idiots die. i have no sympathy for him or his family. too bad the other tagger wasnt run over.
Posted by: D | February 18, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Another nominee for the Darwin awards!
Posted by: Tom | February 18, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Oh well, one less tagger*
Posted by: Debbie | February 18, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Breaks my heart!!!!! On the other hand there will be less tagging now in LA!!!!
Posted by: steve rodriguez | February 18, 2009 at 11:38 AM
Good riddance.
Posted by: Gary Costa | February 18, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Sometimes justice comes in other ways !
Posted by: RC | February 18, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Karma
Posted by: southoc | February 18, 2009 at 11:53 AM
how many points is that for hitting a tagger?
Posted by: shootthemoon | February 18, 2009 at 12:02 PM
It is such a shame that our elected officials are so fouled up that they can't even come together to pass a budget for the betterment of the people, yet they can always find time to go on lavish vacations and entertain themselves on the taxpayers money. They should be laid-off , without pay, like they're doing the workers of Calif, and made to figure out how to make an HONEST dollar with the limited funds we the people are afforded, or get out of office completely, and put people in office that really care about the voters, and not just how to continue to rip us off.
Posted by: Richard H Bigby | February 18, 2009 at 12:06 PM
You think a 25 year old Mexican man would have better things to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: steve rodriguez | February 18, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Tag, he's (h)it!
Posted by: DB | February 18, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Well, now he got some attention.
Posted by: Jose Luis | February 18, 2009 at 12:17 PM
I guess that's an occupational hazard for a tagger! Maybe we should have a law that requires all taggers to wear helmets and reflective gear?
Posted by: Greg | February 18, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Another banger bites the dust. Soo sad. NOT!
Posted by: Jaks | February 18, 2009 at 12:18 PM
One down... a few more to go. Im glad. If they were doing something original, at least it would be good. Graffiti is done. Its like the 14 years olds that wear Ramones shirts, outdated, boreing. Do something new, do something creative. Our generation started graffiti back in the 70's and 80's. When is this generation going to come up with something new? No one is impressed that you sign your name that fancy. If you are that into letters, take a typography class and realize that you really dont know anything.
Posted by: Mike | February 18, 2009 at 12:21 PM
The art of death...
Posted by: Jeffrey Gay Mantor | February 18, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Pathetic.
Make his family pay for all of the police involved in the mess.
Posted by: R Tray | February 18, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Too bad he died quickly
Posted by: Thank Darwin | February 18, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Got what he deserved.
Posted by: DTG | February 18, 2009 at 12:28 PM
I only hope Jaime death will not be in vain. Maybe it will deter other tagers
Posted by: Norm Grimes | February 18, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Occupational hazard?
Posted by: D. Washington | February 18, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Taggers are just as bad as gang bangers. Not sorry for what happened to him.
Posted by: Warren | February 18, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Hooray! Good riddance!
Posted by: Chet Hayes | February 18, 2009 at 12:48 PM
A graffiti vandal? No harm done then.
Posted by: One less Punk | February 18, 2009 at 12:49 PM
HA! HA! good riddance and no condolences to his wonderful "parents"
Posted by: David | February 18, 2009 at 12:53 PM
"Died doing what he loved?" What he was doing was illegal,dangerous and incredibly stupid.
Posted by: Pat | February 18, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Chad, that's the funniest comment I've seen in a long time.
It's sad that a 25 year old had not progressed beyond the juvenile level of spray painting property that did not belong to him.
Posted by: Diane | February 18, 2009 at 01:01 PM
That is sad to hear i feel bad for the family, I can believe all this people are so cruel come on the person died. I understand that he was a tagger but have some freaking sympathy he wasn't out there killing people he was just spraying a freaking sign.
Posted by: SADDENED | February 18, 2009 at 01:52 PM
oh...sweet!
Posted by: DaveGardena | February 18, 2009 at 02:20 PM
These guys along with the rest of the pathetic, government draining, taxpayer defrauding, system abusers should all suffer a slower, more painful demise.
On the other hand, why not speed up the process and end bureaucratic giveaways quicker by lining em all up and letting a couple of tanks do what this little Camry did?
My only hope is that the person driving the Toyota is uninjured and recovers quickly from the trauma of having someone flash in front of their car and killing them. Despite doing society a favor, that person is probably suffering some form of guilt or remorse and more importantly is out of a perfectly good vehicle for a while!
Posted by: WOG | February 18, 2009 at 05:13 PM
you guys are cold. but the Darwin comment was funny...
Posted by: KB | February 18, 2009 at 06:21 PM
1 can of spray paint... $5... Gas money to get to the tagging site... $10... Getting hit while running accross the freeway after tagging... PRICELESS!!!!! I agree with most of you, no sympathy for him or his family. Its one less idiot to deal with! You would think a 25 year old man would have something better to do or atleast be more mature. He got exactly what he deserved. Its just too bad that all other taggers don't get what they deserve.
Posted by: Steve | February 18, 2009 at 07:59 PM
I personaly knew this person . I would ask everyone to respect his death. He was a good person . And he will be missed . I just hope GOD has mercy on your soul. Beacuse I know he will be on his.
Posted by: mario | February 18, 2009 at 10:33 PM
The really sad thing here are the comments. He was doing something we don't like and most of us find offensive, but a life was lost. This country has lost it's collective soul. I, personally, do not like Republicans or the religious right and many things they do offend me, but I do not cheer when one of them dies. What is wrong with you people?
Posted by: David | February 19, 2009 at 12:52 AM
ewww you people are digusting saying those things.Don't you guys have better things to do then to post cruel opinions about someone who just died wow. The world would be a better place but i don't think that will happen with people like you in it. I don't think you guys would be saying this if it happened to your kid... but wait most of you losers probably don't have any because of the way you are.
Posted by: General Lee | February 19, 2009 at 02:48 AM
I love a happy ending.
Posted by: John Thomas | February 19, 2009 at 09:05 PM
Karma?
Seriously?
The kid was hit and killed!
Sure he's stupid, liked lame art and probably listened to bad music. But Karma?
Karma would be him getting hit in the balls by a 70mph can of spray-paint...not a Toyota. My best wishes for his family.
Posted by: PartyBone | February 19, 2009 at 09:54 PM
This is outrageous. There ought to be a law! How can they let this happen!!
" The freeway was backed up for miles this morning as three lanes were closed for more than an hour."
Posted by: AZH | February 20, 2009 at 07:04 AM
"Well, at least he died doing what he loved!"
What part did he love? Running across the freeway or getting hit by a car?
Posted by: Keb | February 21, 2009 at 01:13 AM
wow. you people have no hearts whatsoever.
Posted by: heartless | February 22, 2009 at 12:59 AM
How sad to hear cruel coments. It's sad to see people excersise their fredom a speech in such a manner. This was a young kid. Please refrain from insulting a desceased person.
Posted by: skerp | February 22, 2009 at 01:26 AM
FIRST OF ALL I FEEL SORRY FOR THIS GUY PARENTS AND I CAN BELIVE WHAT THIS OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT HIS DEAD HERE IS A COMMENT BACK TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT DOESNT EVEN KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A TAGGERS LIFE SOME OFUS DO WHAT WE DO JUST TO GET AWAY FROM FAMILYS PROBLEMS OR ELSE ,SOME OF US HAVE MORE TALENT THAN THE ONE THAT YOU CAN LEARN IN A CLASSROOM AND TO THE ONES THAT SAY THAT WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING NEW BECAUSE GRAFFITI WAS INVENTED IN THE 70'S ...ITS TOO BAD THAT YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THESE MOVEMENT BECAUSE NEW GRAFFITI STYLE IS INVENTED EVERYDAY NO ONLY FROM ''UP'' TAGGERS .THEY ARE INVENTED BY REAL ARTISC LIKE COPE2.REVOK ETC ETC...AND ..COME ON MIKE...typography CLASS?????? JUST GIVE ME A PIECE OF PAPERS O A CANVAS AND ILL SHOW YOU HOW LETTERS CAN BECOME ALIVE ..ALSO PEOPLE ,WITHOUT GRAFFITI ON YOUR STREET ...GOVERMENT WOULDNT EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CITY THEN YOU WOULNT SEE A DINE FOR THE MAINTENCE OF YOUR CITY .....WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT REMOVES THIS GRAFFITI ..WHO DO THEY HAVE TO THANK FOR HAVING A JOB...DID YOU KNOW 200 MILLION OF DOLLARS ARE MADE OUT OF GRAFFITI EVERY YEAR ,, IM NOT SAYIN THAT THERE ARE ALOT OF GANG MEMBERS OUT THERE TAGGIN BUT YOU WILL NEVER SEEN I GANGBANGER TAGGIN HIS GANG NAME ON A FREEWAY . THAS ONLY DONE BY HARDCORE TAGGERS PUTTING UP THEIRS CREW NAME OR THEIR NAME ITSELF. GRAFFITI MOVEMEMT IS ONE OF THE BIGEST ILLEGAL ART IN THE WORLD AND ITS NOT GOING TO STOP NO MATTER HOW MANY TAGGERS DIED THERE GOING TO BE NEW PEOPLE MAKING NEW KING OF GRAFFITI .......CANT STOP ..WONT STOP
Posted by: ENZO | February 22, 2009 at 11:43 PM
Yeah, you guys sure are funny.
The death of somebody isn't nothing to laugh about. Graffiti writer or not, he was still a human being with family and friends who cared about him. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like people humiliating your dead relative.
Posted by: ProductOfEvolution | February 23, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Having had my share of writing on other peoples property, I learned early from strong warnings of my parents, and a gracious police officer that I do have the right to express myself, but I dont have a right to do so on other peoples property, to make a long story short, taxpayers dont want to look at it, neighbors dont want it on their property, so buy yourself a stock of canvas's, note books etc. and knock yourself out, if its really art, you should be able to make a living from it without negatively impacted everyone else....
Posted by: James Los Angeles | February 24, 2009 at 03:28 PM
Thats a good werd of advice JAMES. But we are just asking for compassion & understanding of a fellow passing. If you have nothing nice to say then just keep it. Some comments I read are very hurtfull & painfull to read. Please do not disrespect some ones loved 1. This isnt a forum for you to voice your insignificant remark. Watch your words people
Posted by: skerp | February 25, 2009 at 01:22 AM
LOOK WAS NOT CLOSE TO THE GUY KNEW HIM MY BROTHER ON THE OTHER HAD WAS.BUT WEATHER HE DIED DOING SOME THING GREAT OR WRONG PEOPLE SHOULD KEEP HEARTLESS COMMENTS TO THEM SELF! WHATS WRONG TO US IS NOT WRONG TO OTHERS. NOT EVERY ONE IS PERFECT WHAT IS DID WAS A FORM OF ART WEATHER U UNDERSTAND IT OR NOT. DONT AGREE WITH IT BUT NOT GOING TO HATE SOME ONE WHO DOES IT. HE WAS A PERSON WITH FRIENDS,FAMILY N PEOPLE THAT DID LOVE HIM. PEOPLE OF THE WORLD REALLY THINK EVERY ONE WANTS PEACE BUT WONT DO NOTHING TO HELP IT. DONT SHEAD A TEAR FOR HIN OR HIS FAMILY BUT DONT POST UP MEAN COMMENTS FOR A PERSON U DONT EVEN KNOW! NEVER GUDGE ITS BOOK BY ITS COVER! R.I.P JEBS! U WILL BE MISSED 62FIVER FOR LIFE!
Posted by: londee | February 25, 2009 at 01:42 AM
This man may have been doing something illegal, but you are all extremely selfish people. You are using a deceased man's article (somewhere where his family and friends all look, mind you! ) to prove how OH SO very funny you are!
wow, we all have got a bunch of little comedians here now don't we? none of you are funny. this is the pathetic nature of society, much more pathetic than graffitti. people use the internet to let themselves shine through, oh i'm a comedian, oh i'm smart! guess what? it's all a facade. maybe practice it in real life. something tells me you're all a bunch of losers sitting at your computer gaining a bit more self-esteem by this dead man.
may he rest in peace, and i hope you all can cultivate a healthy sense of self-esteem in the future!
Posted by: Jane | February 25, 2009 at 07:36 AM
DEAR Jane and a few others:
Thank you for your remarks. Thank you for understanding that Jaime was a human being with a life and friends and family. That he was not just "some tagger."
I was a close friend of Jaime. If you all knew him when he was alive you would know that Jaime was an incredible human being. He had a very big family and an even bigger group of friends who all loved him and would always be willing to do anything for him. He was a very positive person with a very big heart and his loss has been very hard for all the loved ones he had.
As much as graffiti is illegal and as much as people hate it, the fact that someone does graffiti doesn't make them a bad person or a person that doesn't matter. Although graffiti was one of his biggest passions, I don't want people to try and understand graffiti, I just wish they would have respect for someone's deceased loved one. He's not one less tagger, he's one less brother, one less friend, one less father.
R.I.P. JEBZ OCK CBS
Posted by: BRAINZ | March 01, 2009 at 10:56 PM
What kind of dad stays out all night tagging freeways? I wouldd hope the family and friends of this guy can understand why the lack of sympathy on the part of the community-.What kind of support did he get from you? Didn't anyway sit him down and talk to him about growing up? This guy died because he was stupid and selfish-period the end
Posted by: spencer | March 17, 2009 at 03:52 AM
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS TO THE FAMILY OF THE FORMER WRITER . I DONT KNOW HIM OR ANY OF U FOR THAT MATTER , BUT WHEN SOMEONE SUCH AS MYSELF HERE'S OF A FELLOW WRITER BEING KILLED FOR SOMETHING HE/SHE LOVED I HAVE TO SHOW RESPECT FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY . A COUPLE WEEKS AGO HERE IN MIAMI A WRITER DIED FROM FALLING OF A HIGHWAYSIGN .SORRY FO YOUR LOSS ONCE AGAIN FROM ALL THE WRITERS IN MIAMI 305 . R.I.P MERK....
Posted by: MR D | March 18, 2009 at 06:24 PM
OMG! Are you freakin' serious??? What thrills do YOU PATHETIC people get out of laugh at and mocking someone's death. Whether or not you agree with his actions who the hell are you guys to "hooray" a deceased human being? Want to talk about karma? yeah, it does come in many different ways. I wonder what yours will be for being such damn idiots! I get that maybe he shouldn't have been running across a freeway or even tagging at that particular place at that time for that matter, but still a life was lost. For those of you people that believe the only art, is art done by famous artists who's paintings sell for ridiculous amounts of money are ignorant, because tagging is a form of art as well!!
The remark made by "KEB" is beyond stupid! "tagging or running in front of the car?" Should we all gather around and laugh now?
For you other lames that don't know the difference between taggers and gangmembers, you need to learn to get it right. But all in all they are still human beings. I wasn't aware that you are to decide who lives and who dies! or is it because in your eyes they are both the same because the majority of the two are minorities?
I cannot begin to understand how cold-hearted you people are. Someone lost their life & his friends and family lost him, what's so hard for you to understand here? My deepest heart felt sympathies to the loved ones of JAIME!
May GOD bless you all!!!
Posted by: Jae from N.E.LOS | March 26, 2009 at 10:25 PM
This is so patheticyou people are maken fun of a person that died he did graffitti because he loved it just like i do i dont know him him but i wished i did & on top of that i hope he finished what he painted before he passed away
HEARTLESS from Phoenix Arizona
Posted by: Heartless .. | May 11, 2009 at 11:25 AM
that was a person that got hit by a car not a "tagger". All of u "sophisticated" people that think some1 getting run over by a car is hilarious but GOD FORBID that someone would tag on a sign. Oh yeah and graffiti Can't Be Stopped! RIP JEBZ!
Posted by: retro | August 05, 2009 at 12:10 PM
They Shouldnt Tag, i THink Its Wrong
Posted by: Shannon | August 25, 2009 at 05:41 PM
R.I.P jaime "jebz Ock" we miss u homie !!! u ppl r messed up it would suck 4 you to lose some1 and have ppl talk bad about them... R.I.P JEBZ still alive in our hearts
Posted by: West Ing... | October 22, 2009 at 10:12 PM
Thank You For Posting, Please Do not Comment And Further.
Regards,
L.A Times Admin.
Posted by: Admin | November 09, 2009 at 06:52 PM
Hello, You Are Now Free To Post Again.
Regards.
L.A Times Admin.
Posted by: Admin | November 17, 2009 at 03:53 PM