Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024

Jason Erling Hallstrom and Travis Mock

Jason Erling Hallstrom, 41, a man who was wounded in an officer-involved shooting in Santa Ana on March 15,  died last Saturday, according to Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, as quoted in the L.A. Times.

Hallstrom had been charged with a felony count of unlawfully taking a vehicle and a misdemeanor count of resisting a peace officer, according to court records. He was due in court Monday.

Here is what happened, according to the O.C. Register:

On March 15, Hallstrom and Travis Mock, 29, were being chased by SWAT officers on I-5 when they got off at Grand Avenue and headed north, Santa Ana authorities said.

Police that day initially thought Hallstrom was the driver of a stolen Nissan but later determined Mock was driving the vehicle. An earlier version of this story indicated Hallstrom was driving the Nissan.

The vehicle pursuit ended when the Nissan crashed at Grand Avenue at 15th Street; officers fired at and hit both men as they attempted to flee.

A woman who calls herself Summer Shine commented at the Register that she had borne a daughter with Hallstrom and that the facts were not being reported. I have reached out to her for more info.  In the meantime, here are some of her comments:

  • You’re all so naive. You have no idea the politics behind Jason’s death and if you did, you’d know it could have easily been any one of you. I’m repulsed that our daughter saw this. Have some respect.
  • They were running for their life, knowing the SWAT team was there to kill them in an effort to cover their asses for a previous shooting. Know the facts before you talk about someone’s father like that.
  • It could have been your Daddy on a stretcher. Did you even look at the circumstances and overwhelming evidence that this was a planned killing??? The questions is why, but it’s coming to light. You’ll see.

It is generally a bad idea to flee from the police.  But this case is something else.  I have never heard of a SWAT team chasing down and shooting someone.  They usually enter buildings to do their work.  Did Hallstrom and Mock rob someone or some company?  The OCDA should eventually put out a report about the police shooting.  Hopefully it will be enlightening.

author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

24 thoughts on “Why did the SAPD kill Jason Erling Hallstrom and was it justified?”
  1. RIP hoss! Damnit, you were always a good friend to me when we met about 2nd grade or so. Long live the cul de sac days:) hope your in peace

  2. Notice how our current mayor gives no details on what happened …no briefing or condolences
    …..

    1. Nor did any of the Council members. It is an open investigation and that would be inappropriate. Although the entire Council did show up to that Town Hall meeting after the SAPD shot Binh Van Nguyen earlier this year. But he lived here. I don’t think Hallstrom and Mock lived here.

        1. He appears to have had a lot if friends. This case is a real mystery. The eventual findings from the OCDA should shed some light on what happened.

  3. Jason was and will always be my best friend, I hope reporters and lawyers get to the bottom of this and get rid of the dirty cops that infect our law enforcement, I love you buddy

  4. RIP Hoss! I’ll always hold the memories we all shared close to my heart. I will remember all of the heckling the most and our carne asada BBQs forever. I pray you are resting peacefully.

  5. I was in a relationship with Jason Hallstrom for 12 solid years and on and off for the last four. We were working towards reunification when this incident occurred. Jason’s past should not reflect or be associated with the actions he was carrying out recently to better his life. He set his goals on the changes necessary to reunify with our children and me. This incident was truly an innocent occasion that he was attempting to help a friend. However, law enforcement chose to act with disregard for the law by appointing themselves in a position to eliminate a potential threat. The disgusting corruption that fueled this incident has proven the failure of society to hold persons of law enforcement to the same standards of those they are pursuing. The comments made by others in the many publications reporting this incident, show that significant populations of our communities are ignorant and lack the thought process needed to formulate intelligent analyzation and logic. These types of retarded statements are just as damaging as police corruption. Wisdom is gained by knowing that there are two sides to every story. Educate yourselves with knowledge of the facts before proving yourself to being an incompetent moron.

  6. I have been criticizing Pulido and Walters about the SAPD13 death squad for last 10 years and no one is listening.

    In 20 years of his Mayoral tenure Pulido has as much blood on his hands as a classical Latino dictator like Fidel Castro.

  7. RIP Hoss. you were my brother from another mother we use to say. You were a good friend always. And though the years passed by I always held you close in my heart. I will always be grateful and never forget what you did for me. You will be missed my old friend. We’ll meet again one day. Love you, Maxx

  8. Look, our daughter found the comments first, so as her Mom, I just needed to let ignorant people know he wasn’t a faceless name. That, and bring light to the fact the police reports are a reckless attempt by the SAPD to cover their motives for the SWAT team opening fire.
    ******Research the Mock case against Anaheim PD… If you have the guts, you could be the first to break the REAL story. The SAPD are trying to get away with murder. Stay on it.
    RIP Baby Blue

    1. Ugh, I didn’t mean to be “Anonymous”. Regardless, you get the point. STAY ON IT.

    1. DH;
      Funeral arrangements? Your interest now is almost heart breaking. Where were you all when he needed you? You knew nothing about him and certainly have not honored what he cherished most! Instead, you all acted with conditions and made decisions that were not yours to make. You have caused a great deal of pain and the decisions should haunt you.

  9. Hossifer, hope U are Resting In Peace my friend* Im gunna miss all tha fun times and oh God tha many laughs we had!! We will meet again someday but until then, RIP and may God always Bless You*

  10. I for one am looking forward to a funeral so that all the people who loved him can honor him. Yes, he faced struggles but Jason Hallstrom MATTERED!! He was LOVED by many as a dad, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. We did not give up on him EVER!

    1. IT IS NOT AS IMPORTANT “HOW YOU FEEL”; WHAT TRULY MATTERS IS “HOW JASON FELT”. MATTERED? AS ALWAYS, YOUR LACK OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR WHAT HE CARED FOR MOST IS OVERLOOKED. THIS IS NOT ABOUT STATUS. PLEASE ASK YOURSELF, “IS THIS WHAT HE WANTED”? HE MADE IT CLEAR TIME AND TIME AGAIN. YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE MAN HE WAS OR HIS CONVICTIONS OR PASSIONS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LOVED HE WAS OR THE DEVASTATION LOSING HIM HAS CAUSED. IT IS BEYOND ANY WORDS OR EXPLANATIONS. HONOR HIM WITH HONESTY AND RESPECT HIS CHOICES!

  11. Hello my friend wrote this to the oc register, and myself being a long time friend of Jason Hallstrom felt it was my duty to post this on behalf of my friend Jeff in honor of Jason’s memory. Please read the following.

    If it is the last thing I do I will find a way to prove that the Santa Ana Police Department is purposely covering up a dirty shooting on their behalf, these officers flat out MURDERED Jason whom has been so much more than just a friend to …me for 18 years. (please keep in mind that this all happened on a Friday afternoon on a residential street) I went to the scene and looked it over and at the residence next door to the corner house I could see a bullet hole in both shutters of a window that was also shot out, all 3 of those shots were at head height and in such a group that they were meant for one thing to KILL. Why did S.A.P.D. change their story? Why is it that S.A.P.D. if in pursuit on the Interstate (C.H.P. Jurisdiction) did not put in a call to California Highway Patrol and AIR SUPPORT (to which S.A.P.D. has numerous options of avail including surrounding departments Air Ships) before executing a supposed felony stop? How did these S.A.P.D.13 officers make contact with this supposed stolen vehicle to which there was keys? Why would S.A.P.D. even make a statement to the press in regards to who they believed originally sat where and why was it changed in later accounts? Why is it they have not released Jason back to his family so all of us can mourn our “VERY LOVED FRIENDS PASSING”? Why is there so many officers trampling over a possible MURDER scene? Why has the corners office not yet given a press release but have on numerous other cases that have happened since Jason’s? Flat out Jason was MURDERED and S.A.P.D. is covering the whole thing up, they will only tell the public what they want to hear and show them what they want to see, but the truth of the matter is ALL of these officers on the scene in these photos are not taking reports they are rehearsing their perpetual lies so that the naive and too quick to assume public will feel that they are just being kept safe. Whoever the owner of that Nissan is will not ever see that car again, for 2 years minimum it will be held in a inside storage facility on a Orange County District Attorneys “HOLD” and it will stay there indefinitely till they file title work, and once gaining the title will either CRUSH/AUCTION/or CONFISCATE for DEPARTMENT USE. The cold hard truth is that the public will only know the truth of this massacre if true journalism is upheld so I cry and plead to the editors of this paper to do their job for us the public and report the whole story instead of non truths and half truths. I have never thought this publication to be the puppet of local government so please do not prove me wrong by letting this story die. To all of Jason’s friends and Family demand answers on every level all the way up to the California Attorney General because I am going to. Jason Hallstrom I Love You So Much you will never be forgotten Rest In Peace and let your soul be free we will take it from here my friend! – Jeffrey Lowe
    Cynthia M Martinez

    1. I grew up on the same street as Jason and knew him my whole life and I am so disgusted with what happened to him. We all have our faults. I have made some bad choices in life. I never gave up on Jason just like people never gave up on me. I hadn’t seen him in a while but I will always miss him. R.I.P. my friend. I really hope those cops get what they deserve. I hope it all comes to light or it won’t be long before these cops shoot someone in the back for having a burned out tail light.

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