Motorcyclist charged with murder for pursuit death of Georgia state trooper

Trooper Jimmy Cenescar.

By Joe Johnson

A motorcyclist who fled from a state trooper who then crashed on I-85 has been charged with the 28-year-old trooper's murder, the Georgia Department of Public Safety announced.

Gerson Ayala Rodriguez was arrested Friday in Norcross by both the state patrol and Gwinnett County police, according to the DPH commissioner, Col. William Hitchens.

Rodriguez was charged with felony murder, first-degree homicide, reckless driving, fleeing and attempting to elude, among other traffic offenses.

The incident happened Sunday on Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County, near Old Peachtree Road when Trooper Jimmy Cenescar was attempting to stop a motorcycle for a traffic violation. Instead of stopping, the motorcyclist drove through two lanes of traffic attempting to get away, according to a preliminary crash report released by DPS.

Cenescar lost control of his cruiser, which traveled down an embankment, striking trees and other objects before crashing into a retaining wall.

Rodriguez continued driving and did not stop.

Cenescar was extricated from his vehicle and transported to Northside Gwinnett Hospital in Lawrenceville where he died.

Cenescar had been employed by the Department of Public Safety since January 2023 and was a graduate of the 114th Trooper School.

Before working for the Georgia State Patrol, he was employed by the Atlanta Police Department and was honored for his heroics in saving the life of a man who drove off a bridge and landed 50 feet below on train tracks.

Watch video from the rescue: https://youtu.be/KcWAx2mlLuY?si=X44_4Iii2SGIkZcd

Cenescar had migrated to the U.S. from Haiti and he graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College.

“I knew I would grow and thrive here,” the trooper told the school's magazine, in 2022.