Crime & Safety
Suspect Arrested In Death Of GA Trooper Killed During I-85 N Chase
Trooper Jimmy Cenescar was chasing a fleeing motorcycle when his vehicle left the roadway and hit an embankment on Interstate 85 north.
NORCROSS, GA — Authorities have arrested a suspect in the Jan. 28 death of a Georgia State Patrol trooper, whose vehicle left the roadway and hit an embankment during a police chase on Interstate 85.
Trooper Jimmy Cenescar, 28, was chasing a fleeing motorcycle on I-85 North near Old Peachtree Road in Atlanta at the time of his death, the GSP said.
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Gerson Ayala Rodriguez was arrested Friday in Norcross in connection with Cenescar's death, the GSP said. Rodriguez was charged on suspicion of felony murder, first-degree homicide, felony fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving and other traffic-related charges, the GSP said.
Rodriguez was driving 140 mph during the police chase, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing arrest warrants.
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"The Department of Public Safety wants to thank all its law enforcement partners who helped make this arrest possible. Also, the department asks everyone to keep Trooper Cenescar’s family in their thoughts as they continue to navigate this difficult time," the GSP said in a news release.
A 1-minute, 33-second video clip posted to the DPS' Facebook shows Cenescar's body being escorted by law enforcement to the funeral home.
Cenescar had been with the Department of Public Safety since January 2023 and graduated from the 114th Trooper School, authorities said.
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