By PoliceOne Staff
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — Durjan Germaine Gray was sentenced to life in prison Friday for the 2011 death of Cathedral City Police Officer Jermaine Gibson, who died when his patrol car caught fire while he was pursuing the suspect.
Gray did not say anything at his sentencing hearing, but The Desert Sun reported he turned around and winked at his family as his sentence was read.
“Just think, if you would have pulled over, we would not be here today,” said Joseph Gibson, the father of Jermaine Gibson. “My son wouldn’t be dead, and you wouldn’t be sitting here … You probably would have been arrested, and went to jail, but you might be home right now.”
The deadly pursuit began while Officer Gibson was on patrol and saw the car Gray was driving make a traffic violation. When he initiated a traffic stop, Gray didn’t pull over, which sparked the 100 mph pursuit. Gray’s headlights were off and Gibson believed the car was stolen.
As the pursuit went around a curve, Gray crashed his vehicle, and Officer Gibson lost control of his patrol vehicle, which hit a tree and became engulfed in flames.
The pursuit became a discussion point and led to Coachella Valley police changing their approach to dangerous pursuits, the publication reported.
Since Gibson’s death, officers in Coachella Valley have become five times more likely to call off pursuits, abandoning nearly one in four, according to a Desert Sun analysis of pursuit statistics.
Gray is eligible for parole in 32 years.