“Those tours in Iraq really messed him up. He was not the same person when he came home. He has left behind a wife and two children and an extended family that loved him. He will be missed by us all,” his aunt wrote in an email to The AV Times.
Rhodes died at the scene of the collision, which occurred around 4:02 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, on Lancaster Boulevard just west of Valley Central Way, Lt. Mark Pope of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station told City News Service.
A woman stopped her car to allow what she believed to be homeless people cross the street when a man got up from a bus bench, hit her car, grabbed her door handle and tried to get in, a sheriff’s deputy told a source at the scene. The man was fatally injured when the woman tried to drive away, according to the deputy.
“Something regarding the accident account does not make sense,” the victim’s aunt stated in the email. “If he was trying to get in this woman’s car door, that means, he was on the side of her car. If that is the case, I would expect a foot or leg injury, not a fatal injury. If he left one side of the car to go to another, he possibly could have been leaving the scene or going to the other door. Either way, she could have waited until he was clear of the front end before speeding off…. I pray that they thoroughly investigate this accident and provide us more details. That will not bring him back to his kids and wife, but we need some more answers.”
Sheriff’s officials did not identify the female driver, and an official statement on the circumstances surrounding the collision was not released by the sheriff’s department. No further information on the incident was available as of Thursday, Aug. 10.
Previous related story: Man struck, killed by car in Lancaster identified
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Greg Woodard says
Justin worked for our company years ago providing IT services for NASA at DFRC (now Armstrong). He was a great employee, very thorough and detailed oriented.
From all of us at EMCO Technologies, our deepest condolences to his family and his friends.
May God give all involved patience, wisdom, and peace, that promotes respect and honor that this man deserves.
Greg Woodard
Renzo C says
I also had the honor to work with Justin Rhodes early on his IT career. Proud Iraq veteran amazing person that will be the first person to be at work and last to leave. Great coworker very helpful some good memories at work and good friend . I spent many years working with him early on my career Justin had integrity and will stood up when he saw something wrong . I saw his growth in his IT career he would always find a shortcut and if it didn’t work he would start doing push up. I knew he struggled with his health and his PTSD I was hoping he could beat it and get his treatment this is some sad news I’m sorry for your struggles in life. my condolences to his family Justin is not the character that would break the law RIP Justin Thank you for the memories my friend
Marcus says
He was at the bus bench and the car stopped in the middle of the street in front of it. Maybe he mistook the car as one of somebody he knew that he thought saw him and stopped to pick him up. We don’t know how hard he hit the car, maybe he did like a little flat palm knock on the door like a hey, thanks man, or something, I don’t know and then went to get in. When I looked him up on his Linked In to see if he was somebody I might know, before they released the picture, that was the thing I thought of cause the description of what happened doesn’t match the person who he was. He had many achievements and jobs with a lot of responsibility and like they said, he was in the military before.
Marcus says
Like he might have knocked on the roof of the car in familiarity.
PTSD says
“…when a man got up from a bus bench, hit her car, grabbed her door handle and tried to get in, a sheriff’s deputy told a source at the scene.”
Justin Rhodes won’t be doing that anymore.
Jesus Salinas says
I have the Honor to work with this Great person. Excellent worker and with a big potential on his IT Career. I am very sorry for his struggles. I’ll always remember Him. RIP Justin.
Jesus Salinas says
* I had the honor.
Tairee says
I am desperately trying to get ahold of Mr. Rhodes aunt, she left a question in the AV press column needing answers t o what happened. It was my sister that was involved in this horrific tragedy, and she also is a good person, works as a notary in our court system, was gonna become a police officer, and has herself been changed by this sadness alot of people have been affected by and will have to live trying to accept it. We are happy and willfully wanting to find dome closure to what happened, we are so sorry for what you are dealing and going thru, we are selves are grieving the loss of family members. Please contact me on my phone 662-547-2806 so we may be able to bring understanding and healing in our lives. I’m so sorry we happen to be apart of your pain but after talking you’ll be able to understand and forgive us and no it is not and was not anything like you are thinking happened, it was an accident, he did try to break into my sisters car, but everything else is not what happened. K don’t know why the police station is not helping you with this, there is z surveillance video taken and seen.of everything that happened that leaves one with no questions that McDonalds captured from beginning to end, the police have it and family is entitled to viewing it
Manny says
Because he had PTSD, he was not intentionally attempting to carjack and assault some motorist??
I got PTSD from reading this.
Tico Velez says
Excellent point. But misidentifying the stranger’s car for an associate’s car is far more common of PTSD pathology. Fact is combat PTSD patients make up about zero of the nation’s carjackers consortium. But that doesn’t mean the driver isn’t innocent either.
any other driver says
If his fingerprints are found on the door handle – – the grand jury shouldn’t even consider charges absent witnesses testimony to facts other than presented by the driver.
To Calrify says
This is neither a federal nor a state case. Only those get grand jury indictments.
This is a Los Angeles >County< case and will go through the jury selection process…
Templer says
Should be a slew of private cameras at this intersection, if the drivers statement is as mentioned in this story scrutiny should be the utmost priority. I do have concerns regarding Sheriff investigations up here and the quick rush to judgment. This agency is known for short arming countless calls while doing a photo op with a bogus film shoot that was filming without a permit. There wasn’t one person those 8 Sheriff were posing with that day anybody would ever know. Don’t mean to be harsh but there are a lot of unsolved murders up here. I personally have experienced with indifference from this agency as a whole, but have also met several officers that are A-1 just stuck in the LA county cog that is the Antelope Valley. My advice to this family try to hire a private investigator to canvass that area for video and witnesses. The Sheriff just don’t have the time it’s not Stevenson Ranch. My condolences to your family.
Mark says
Agree with your comment about the indifference a lot of Sherriff’s deputies seem to have for the Antelope Valley. A lot of them don’t live here and so, at the end of the day, they really don’t care. You’re correct that they care more about Santa Clarita and Stevenson Ranch and other places where they have homes and families, not here. It’s sad because our cities contract with them and pay them to work with us and…they just don’t care.
PSTD says
“Those tours in Iraq really messed him up. He was not the same person when he came home.”
This is one of several reasons why one shouldn’t bother joining the US military.
Tico Velez says
Nobody’s joining anything anymore. Even the few volunteers often fail to qualify.
Holly says
My family met this man on several occasions. We sold him his goat and we bought a bunny from him for our daughter. I do not know the details of this incident but speculations do not match the person that we knew. Prayers to his wife, kids and family.
To Calrify says
So you sold him a goat and bought a bunny from him, which tonyou, provided you with a complete psychological profile where you can determine what he was thinking and why he was doing what he did.
You knew him more Tham his family who has voluntarily offered that he was suffering from PTSD which typically implies he may have been mentally unstable, irrational, violent, easily agitated… etc. The exact symptoms witnesses said he exhibited!
Someone who cares says
I can’t believe he would do something like this. It’s out of character even for him. There must be some video cameras that caught it on tape. Like the Chevron, McDonalds. I was told he was asking people where can he get the bus to the Veterans facility on Ave I. Perhaps he figured since she was stopped he would ask her? He didn’t live in Lancaster But if she didn’t talk to him perhaps he grabbed the door handle. He had no id or his I when they found him. I think someone took his belongs he had on him. I saw him Friday and he had his Veterans ID and his apple iphone. It was very hot that day. He could have been delirious and thought it was his wife. He was not a bad guy or a Bum. Now his autistic son has to live without his dad. I’m glad she stopped and didn’t make it a hit and run. I don’t know why she hit him. I could have sped away from someone without hitting them. Perhaps she has a bad driving record!
Katrina Hinojosa says
Well said bro. Well said. My heart breaks. He was too kind.
Brett Jackson says
I dont think the events stated make sense either. I’m a long time friend of this man (25 years)and I’d attest to the kind of man he was any day. He was a good man who loved his kids and animals. I miss my brother and can only think of things I wish I could say to him.
barbara says
You don’t always know people as well as you think. The victim is the woman driving the car.
Pzee says
Well said Barbara
Caspian says
I just heard the news today.
I will always remember you Justin Rhodes. There were some great times and not so great times. I wish I could have helped you more with your struggles. You are at peace now and I am thankful for that. I remember some days at your house in the desert like it happened 5 seconds ago. The first time I met Arkansas and when the first little one popped out. The first time you were at NASA and an F-18 shook everything with a sonic boom…… you went flying into combat mode over the table lying flat on the ground looking for the enemy like some kind of ninja. We grew up in that desert together. It was an honor Private!
Support 4 Heroes says
It saddens me to read your memories of your friend. I too have a brother who served 2 tours in Iraq. He has had similar responses (as you described about the table and the enemy).
I hate how much we don’t do for our wounded.
Thank you and Private Rhodes for your service, a true depiction of how our freedom to be entitled and opinionated so and so’s didn’t come for free. It is men like Rhodes and my brother who paid the price for us.
Ali says
Oddly, the person you describe as “the victim” isn’t the body that was buried. Just saying. And many comments come from people who knew the dead man. They can’t all be mistaken.