Crime & Safety

Mount Washington Cycling Death Remains Mystery

Jean Carlos Galaviz was charismatic, friendly and never averse to taking risks on his bicycle.

The investigation into the death Jean Carlos Galaviz, 34, , is still "fluid and ongoing" according to an officer from LAPD's Central Traffic Division.

On Wednesday, August 22, Officer David Chung told Patch that there was no evidence that Galaviz was hit by another vehicle before crashing his bicycle, despite a sign posted by the family in the area of the accident seeking information about a "hit and run."

As of Monday, the Mount Washington monument had grown to include an all-white ghost bike commemorating Galaviz's death. However, according to an officer who spoke to Patch and declined to be named, there was still no evidence as of Monday to suggest that Galaviz's death was anything but an accident.

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Tami Moreno, who dated Galaviz and was still close to him at the time of his death, said his death remains a mystery to his friends and family.

"I'm getting so many conflicting stories, Moreno said. "Some people say he did get hit. I don't think the papers are right about what happened, about it being a solo fall."

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Moreno said Galaviz said was an experienced rider who frequently rode his fixed-gear bicycle through his neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles or up the hills of Mount Washington. However, he was also prone to take risks. In February, he broke his clavicle bone after being struck by a car door while riding through Downtown, Moreno said. He was back on his bike for April's event, which closed Downtown's street for thousands of cyclists.

Though he purchased a helmet after the February crash, Moreno said, he wasn't wearing it on the night he died.

Galaviz was a free-spirit, Moreno said. The kind of man who made new friends, but was closest to his parents. His mother called Jean-Carlos her best friend, Moreno said. The Montebello native met with his dad for lunch on a weekly basis. On the night he died, he was on a late night mission to visit a cousin on Mount Washington.

His care-free spirit also occasionally led him to trouble. He'd only recently gotten his license restored after losing it due to a prior DUI incident.

Moreno said she'd learned from friends that Galaviz had two beers on the night of his death. He also had taken one for the road, which was found at the crash site by police officers.

"He could handle his beer, though. Two beers would be nothing," Moreno said.

For Moreno, therein lies the mystery of her friend's death. Was he the experienced fixed-gear rider who knew both Downtown LA and the hills of Mount Washington like the back of his hand? The one who could stop his fixie on a dime and was back on the road months after a serious injury?

Or was he the risk taker? The daring rider who bought the helmet, but didn't wear it.

"Part of me wonders what happened going down that damn hill," Moreno said.

Funeral Services for Galaviz will be held on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m at St. Hilary's Church of Perpetual Adoration, 5465 S. Citronell Ave. Pico Rivera, CA. 90660


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