\u201cI don\u2019t think you intended harm to another person,\u201d Della Piana told Hernandez Garcia. \u201cI think you made rash decisions here and didn\u2019t realize the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
For months, Hernandez Garcia\u2019s attorneys have sought mental health diversion, arguing that he has schizophrenia, which impaired his judgment leading up to the crash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Deputy District Attorney Nora Wong argued that the defense failed to establish a qualifying mental health diagnosis and treatment plan, nor did they show that Hernandez Garcia does not pose a risk to public safety.<\/p>\n
Della Piana ultimately agreed with the prosecution, citing reports from forensic psychiatrists for the prosecution that raised questions about Hernandez Garcia\u2019s diagnosis and whether his symptoms would be responsive to mental health treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have sufficient evidence to grant mental health diversion,\u201d Della Piana said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to advocate for our client,\u201d said Martin Caraves, one of Hernandez Garcia\u2019s attorneys, during the hearing.<\/p>\n
A police chase that ended in tragedy<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/oaklandside.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Marvin-Boomer-Family_EG_010.jpg\")
Martin Sanders, Boomer\u2019s best friend, holds a pair of Boomer\u2019s glasses on June 5, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n
On May 28, 2025, Hernandez Garcia was being chased by CHP officers across Oakland. According to the CHP, officers called off their pursuit several times, with the last time just after they failed to stop Hernandez Garcia near Park Boulevard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hernandez Garcia raced up East 21st Street and crashed near 12th Avenue into a fire hydrant. The hydrant hit Boomer as he attempted to shield his partner, Nina Woodruff. Boomer, 40, died at the scene, police said, and Woodruff sustained a concussion and other major injuries. The couple had been on an afternoon stroll.<\/p>\n
Hernandez Garcia, who was 18 at the time of the crash, fled and was chased down on foot by CHP officers who took him into custody.<\/p>\n
Hernandez Garcia entered the courtroom Tuesday handcuffed and in a green jumpsuit. His family members, including his sister and aunt, sat quietly, some folding their hands in prayer as the judge and lawyers debated his request.<\/p>\n
Behind them sat Boomer\u2019s mother, sisters, and best friend, all of whom provided statements to the court opposing Hernandez Garcia\u2019s request for diversion.<\/p>\n
Martin Sanders, Boomer\u2019s best friend and fraternity brother at Tennessee State University, said he had \u201cserious questions\u201d about the decisions made by CHP officers that day and whether they could have apprehended Hernandez Garcia before it progressed into a high-speed pursuit through a residential neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut accountability for those issues does not erase Mr. Hernandez Garcia\u2019s accountability for his own conduct,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cHe chose to flee law enforcement. He chose to drive at a dangerous speed through a residential neighborhood. Those choices created an extraordinary danger to people who had nothing to do with whatever circumstances caused him to encounter law enforcement that day.\u201d<\/p>\n