By James Queally
Los Angeles Times
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LOS ANGELES — A man who was allegedly driving at speeds of more than 100 mph was charged Monday with murder for slamming into a Los Angeles police officer who pulled to the side of the 405 Freeway to help another motorist, prosecutors said.
Mario Joseph Bickham, 36, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Shiou Deng and Jesus Garcia, 34, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Prosecutors allege that Bickham was traveling at 112 mph near the Getty Center exit around 2 a.m. on June 23, 2025, when he plowed into Deng, who had just exited his car to help Garcia, according to court records.
Deng, a 26-year veteran of the department, was pronounced dead at an area hospital a short time later.
Garcia was on his way home from a shift at Whole Foods when his vehicle was struck by a hit-and-run-driver, who remains unidentified, said Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. Deng pulled over to aid the disabled vehicle and activated his lights and siren, Hochman said.
Another vehicle traveling at 70 mph had crashed into the median barrier to avoid striking Garcia just before Deng pulled up, according to a motion seeking to deny Bickham from being granted bail. More than 30 other vehicles managed to avoid colliding with Deng’s and Garcia’s vehicles before Bickham approached at a high rate of speed, according to court records.
Prosecutors said Bickham had a history of driving at excessive speeds. The month before the deadly collision, a California Highway Patrol officer cited Bickham for driving at 105 mph, according to the complaint filed by prosecutors. He also had been involved in multiple car accidents dating to 2014, according to the bail motion. He has no other criminal history, records show.
Hochman said Bickham’s driving history played a part in the decision to file a murder charge.
“This is not an individual who all of a sudden woke up one day and this was the first time he ever hit a speed over 100 miles per hour,” the district attorney said.
CHP investigators spent months reconstructing the accident and working to pinpoint the exact speed Bickham was traveling at before prosecutors moved to bring charges Monday, according to CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris.
“This was an absolute tragedy because it was a preventable crash caused by a conscious disregard for the safety of others,” Margaris said.
Margaris said Bickham’s speed made it so that he was covering the distance of “almost half a football field every second.”
It was not immediately clear who Bickham’s attorney was or when he would make his first court appearance. If convicted as charged, Bickham could face life in prison.
Deng spent much of his career assigned to the LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit, which helps officers respond to crisis calls. He is survived by his wife and stepdaughter, and was the primary caretaker for his elderly parents at the time of his death, department officials said last year.
“He brought light to a lot of situations especially during the academy and throughout. … He did the best he could, the entire time he was in the department. … He embodies all the core values that we stand for here,” LAPD Det. Victor Lopez said of his fallen colleague last year.
After his death, scores of mourners gathered outside the West L.A. station where Deng worked to celebrate his time on the job.
Colleagues and friends remembered him as an officer who wanted to make a difference. Deng, some recalled, never lost his cheerful attitude, even when he took on challenging roles as a gang officer on the city’s south end.
“He was known for putting others before himself and never seeking recognition and always showing up for those who needed help,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference Monday.
Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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