Officer Who Shot Dubose Seriously Hurt in Mexican Bicycle Race

A San Diego police officer was seriously injured in a bicycling event last month in Mexico when he was thrown from his vehicle while racing down a steep hill near Ensenada.

Carlos Garcia, the officer who killed Tommie Dubose in a controversial shooting in March, was listed in good condition Friday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he was taken after the Sept. 24 accident.

Mike Dabney, a hospital spokesman, said the police officer suffered a fractured skull, and on Wednesday underwent shoulder surgery. He said Garcia also suffers some slight speech difficulty.

A San Diego police officer for 10 years, Garcia shot Dubose in the man’s living room after police burst into his home while trying to serve a late-night search warrant last March.

The shooting, Garcia’s third as a police officer, prompted a public outcry from many community leaders. The San Diego County district attorney criticized the Police Department for the way the incident was handled. The case is now being reviewed by the county Grand Jury.

Richard Williams, president of Air-Evac International, which provided medical services for the bicycle event, said Garcia was injured when he tried to pass another cyclist.

“Somebody crossed in his path and over he went,” Williams said. “He landed on his head.”

He added that Garcia was airlifted by helicopter back to San Diego. It was unclear whether Garcia was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Dave Dickson, president of Bicycling West Inc., the San Diego firm that sponsored the event, said about 16,000 entrants participated in the 50-mile course, which ran from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada.

He said the accident occurred at the end of the course, along an 8-mile stretch where the highway drops 1,200 feet as the bikers approach Ensenada.

Police Cmdr. Keith Enerson, who also rode in the event, said the hill can be very treacherous.

“I know that hill is fast,” he said. “I went down it at 40 miles an hour. Others were going 55. So you can fall down fairly easily.”