Beloved Bay Area Teacher Struck And Killed In High-Speed Chase

OAKLAND, CA — Oakland's Castlemont High School community is mourning the loss of one of their own after a beloved teacher and academic coach was killed by a suspect involved in a high-speed chase Wednesday evening.

Marvin Boomer Jr. was killed following a crosstown pursuit of a suspect, Eric Scott Hernandez-Garcia, by the California Highway Patrol.

"Dr. Boomer was more than a teacher -- he was a mentor, a friend, and a source of strength and inspiration in our halls," Castlemont principal Joseph Blasher said in a letter to the school community Thursday. "His legacy will live on in us and in the countless lives he helped shape long after this tragedy."

Killed just one day before the end of his eighth school year at Castlemont, Boomer was a math teacher who had transitioned into a full-time college and career pathways coach.

"Today, the seniors he worked so closely with will walk the stage and receive their diplomas at Castlemont's Commencement Exercise," Oakland Unified School District officials said in an email Friday. "School staff, families, and the District will celebrate our students' accomplishments with love and excitement just as Dr. Boomer always did, while still holding Dr. Boomer and his family in our hearts."

Boomer died at the scene after being struck by a car allegedly driven by Hernandez-Garcia at about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of East 21st Street and 12th Avenue in Oakland.

At the time of the collision, he was walking on a sidewalk with his wife, who was also hit, according to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

She was severely injured and taken to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

On Friday, District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said her office charged Hernandez-Garcia, 18, with several felonies, including vehicular manslaughter, evading police and hit-and-run.

The CHP said the events that led to Boomer's death began when their officers tried to pull over Hernandez-Garcia in a parking lot near 102nd Avenue and International Boulevard in East Oakland at about 7:30 p.m. because he was wanted by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for felony evading.

Hernandez-Garcia then allegedly drove away and was chased by CHP officers, who said in a news release that they called off the pursuit after just 37 seconds.

A CHP fixed-wing aircraft, however, continued to follow him as he drove on the freeway and city streets for about 15 minutes.

He then pulled over to the curb at 1844 Fifth St., about three blocks from Lake Merritt, and started to get out of the car, an allegedly stolen Infiniti G35, as patrol vehicles guided by the aircraft began to converge on his location, the CHP said.

Hernandez-Garcia then allegedly got back in the car and drove away, again with the CHP in pursuit.

Within 30 seconds, however, Hernandez-Garcia allegedly crashed into a minivan at the intersection of Park Boulevard and 21st Street.

CHP officers said they stopped chasing him a second time about 25 seconds after that.

The people inside the minivan suffered minor injuries and were transported to a hospital.

After Hernandez-Garcia allegedly drove away from the minivan crash, the CHP aircraft continued to track him as he "fled in a reckless and dangerous manner" and then, 20 seconds later, he allegedly lost control, careened into a fire hydrant and struck Boomer and his wife, the CHP said.

Boomer's death added a somber tone to Castlemont's graduation ceremony, held Friday at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Oakland.

"While we are committed to celebrating all students today on the last day of school, and the Class of 2025 at tomorrow's graduation, we also recognize the profound sorrow many of us feel because of this loss," Blasher wrote Thursday.

The school will provide an opportunity for Castlemont students, staff and families to grieve and honor Boomer's memory on Monday.

A candlelight vigil, organized by the local police watchdog group Anti Police-Terror Project, was planned for Friday at 6 p.m. at the scene of the crash -- the intersection of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street in Oakland.

Hernandez-Garcia is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is scheduled for a plea hearing on Monday at 9 a.m. at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.

No bail amount was listed in jail records as of Friday.

By Kiley Russell Bay City News

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