Vallejo police officer sped past fatal crash during pursuit, video shows

VALLEJO – Surveillance video captured a Vallejo police officer speeding past the fatal crash of a motorcyclist during a pursuit in the early morning of July 14, leading the motorcyclist’s family to question the police account of the incident.

The motorcyclist, identified as 43-year-old Marcus Kutterer, died at the scene of the crash. 

A Vallejo Police department press release issued the day after the incident stated that the officer initiated the pursuit at 4:21 a.m. because Kutterer had been speeding and driving recklessly. According to police dispatch recordings, initially there were two motorcycles but one split off in a different direction.

In surveillance video obtained by the Vallejo Sun, the motorcyclist can be seen traveling north on Sacramento Street followed by a patrol vehicle with lights and sirens activated. Just as the motorcyclist leaves the frame, the impact of the crash is audible on the video. 

The patrol vehicle continued past the crash site at high speed. 

The department press release stated that the pursuit was terminated less than one minute after it began. 

The officer said on dispatch audio, “Last seen going eastbound on Valle Vista.” The officer then describes a man of unknown race wearing a flak jacket and a helmet and again suggests checking Valle Vista Avenue. 

But the surveillance video indicates that Kutterer crashed well before reaching Valle Vista. 

According to dispatch audio, at about 6.5 minutes after the pursuit started police received a report that a motorcycle was involved in a traffic collision in front of Blue Oak Landing on Sacramento Street.

The press release states that the Vallejo police received a 911 call from a bystander reporting a traffic collision on the 2100 block of Sacramento Street. According to the press release, when officers arrived they found the rider trapped beneath a parked vehicle. 

“Vallejo Fire Department personnel utilized specialized rescue equipment to lift the vehicle and extricate the rider,” the press release stated. “Despite their efforts, the rider succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.” 

Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis did not respond to questions about the incident, including why the officer sped past the crash scene and why he falsely said that he saw the motorcycle turn right on Valle Vista.

Kutterer’s daughter Ariana Ramirez-Kutterer, 25, said that she was shocked when she saw the surveillance video. “From the video, it's just jaw dropping, because you're a first responder, and you left the crash,” she said, referring to the officer who was in pursuit of her father.

Kutterer’s son, Marcus Daniel Kutterer Jr., who turned 20 years old on July 23,  said he feels that the department is not being forthright because they claimed that they called off the chase. 

The death of a family member is hard enough, but the lingering questions make it even harder to find closure, he added.

“I'm just really angry, heartbroken, and I do have a lot of unresolved issues. I'm just sitting in my room, wondering, what has happened?” he said. 

Kutterer had lived in Fairfield all his life, but was staying in Vallejo before the incident occurred according to his family. Court documents indicate that Kutterer has been convicted on multiple felonies related to possession of stolen vehicles and vehicle burglary, among other charges. He was on probation for his latest offense. 

Marcus Kutterer Jr. grew up with his paternal grandmother but his father was frequently around despite stints in prison. He said that his father taught him how to work on cars and he always encouraged him to do well in school. 

Ramirez-Kutterer was born to a different mother who she grew up with in a separate household. She said that she had less contact with their father but that she had routinely reached out to stay in touch with him. 

Kutterer is also survived by two other children from another relationship. 

Ramirez-Kutterer said that she had long hoped that she and her father would be able to reconnect and build a stronger relationship. 

“I thought I was always going to get that closure with my dad, eventually – you know – why he wasn't around as much.” Ariana said “I always had it in the back of my head that something would happen and I would never get that closure from him. I had hoped that that wouldn't happen, but it did.”

Marcus Kutterer Jr. visited the site of his father’s crash with family members on the evening of July 14 to hold a candlelight vigil. A neighbor saw the family on the sidewalk in tears and came out to talk with them. The neighbor gave Marcus Kutterer Jr. a piece of his father’s motorcycle that he found in the street. 

His mother noticed something lying near the sidewalk at the site of the crash. He picked up the object to find that it was a bloody tooth. “I broke down crying,” he said. “See, this is what I get: a missing tooth from my dad and a broken motorcycle mirror, all shattered.”

Ramirez-Kutterer visited the site that same night but at a different time. She said that the crash site is right under a street light and she does not understand why the officer did not stop.  

“I want to know what happened, and the cop who left the crash scene needs to be held accountable,” she said. “That whole department needs to be held accountable.”

Ramirez-Kutterer consulted with civil rights attorney Melissa Nold for advice on how she might bring more clarity to what happened that morning.

In an interview with the Vallejo Sun, Nold said, “this is why you don't just chase somebody for a low-level misdemeanor in a way that could cause this to happen.” 

“You have to let it go,” she said. “They just don't want to let it go. That's oftentimes how the DOJ got involved in the deadly pursuits that were happening a couple years ago because they didn't want to let go of some perceived wrongdoing.”