The family of a bicyclist who died after an October crash is taking the Long Beach Police Department to court, accusing investigators of stonewalling them on critical records about the wreck and its aftermath. In their lawsuit, relatives of Raul Augustin Gallopa say the department wrongfully refused to release reports and documents they need to understand what happened, how the case was handled, and whether anyone dropped the ball. They also say they learned from news coverage, not from police, that the same driver tied to Gallopa’s collision was later re-arrested in a separate January crash that killed two people, a revelation that has only intensified scrutiny over how Long Beach police balance investigative secrecy with grieving families’ right to know.
What happened in the October crash
Police say the first collision unfolded on Oct. 6, 2025, when 35-year-old bicyclist Raul Augustin Gallopa was struck while riding on East Fourth Street. He was taken to a hospital and died weeks later, on Oct. 20. According to the Los Angeles Times, officers initially arrested the driver on suspicion of reckless driving and later released her. Those early investigative decisions are now at the heart of the family’s fight over what records the department has to hand over.
Police tie both crashes to a single driver
Long Beach detectives say forensic evidence and video footage later linked the Oct. 6 collision to a second crash on Jan. 4, 2026, at Atlantic Avenue and East Sixth Street that killed two people and injured three others. In a department press release, investigators identified 24-year-old Ahkeyajahnique Owens as the suspect, saying she turned herself in on Jan. 7 and was booked on a warrant for felony vehicular manslaughter related to the October crash. Her bail was set at $200,000. Police say they have already presented the October case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and will send the January case to prosecutors for review as well. Long Beach Police Department
Family sues after records were denied
From more than 5,000 miles away in Argentina, Galloppa’s relatives say they tried to get answers the official way and got shut down. According to the lawsuit, the city rejected their public-records requests for crash reports, witness statements, and other investigative documents, citing the materials as part of an ongoing criminal file. That denial pushed attorney James Perry to sue the city and ask a judge to order disclosure. After the Long Beach Post began asking questions about the case, police acknowledged they had wrongfully withheld at least some of the records the family had been seeking.
Family reaction
For the Galloppa family, the lack of information feels like a second blow on top of the loss itself. "We have the same information as the general public and we feel like as a family, we should have the information of why this happened," Yanina Galloppa told the Long Beach Post. Her father, Raul Antonio Galloppa, said the family wants to "process our grief" and get real answers, not just headlines. Perry has said they plan to press forward with the lawsuit even as the department works to release additional documents. A key complaint in the suit is that the family only learned of the driver’s re-arrest in connection with the January collision by reading news coverage, not through any direct outreach from police.
What prosecutors say and what comes next
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told the Los Angeles Times that prosecutors often need months to sift through the evidence in cases like this, including witness interviews, forensic testing, accident reconstruction reports and toxicology. The Long Beach Police Department says it has already handed the October case to the DA and plans to submit the January collision for review in the coming days. How that review plays out will shape any criminal charges stemming from the January crash and will also influence which investigative records can eventually be released to the family and the wider public. Long Beach Police Department
Why the records matter
Open-government advocates say families in fatal crash cases are often entitled to at least redacted versions of investigative files, including basic witness information and statements, which can be crucial for civil lawsuits or for testing whether police and other agencies handled a case properly. The First Amendment Coalition has recently gone to court over withheld police records in other cities, arguing that agencies sometimes stretch investigative exemptions beyond what the law allows. Meanwhile, in Long Beach, community members have held memorials at the Atlantic Avenue crash site, and families of those killed have launched fundraisers while they wait for prosecutors to decide on charges. NBC Los Angeles
