A man who allegedly drove more than 100 miles per hour was charged Monday with hitting a Los Angeles police officer who stopped on the side of the 405 Freeway to help another driver, prosecutors said.
Mario Joseph Bickham, 36, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of LAPD Sgt. Shiou Deng and Jesus Garcia, 34, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Prosecutors say Bickham was traveling about 70 miles per hour near the Getty Center around 2 a.m. on June 23, 2025, when he plowed into Deng, who had just gotten out of his car to help Garcia, according to court records.
Deng, a 26-year veteran of the department, was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.
Garcia was on her way home from a bar at Whole Foods when her car was hit by the driver, who has not yet been identified, said Los Angeles County Dist. He said. Nathan Hochman. Deng pulled over to help the disabled car and turned on his lights and sirens, Hochman said.
Another car going 70 miles per hour hit the median to avoid hitting Garcia just before Deng pulled up, according to Bickham’s non-bail motion. More than 30 other vehicles were able to avoid colliding with Deng and Garcia’s vehicles before Bickham approached at high speed, according to court records.
Prosecutors say Bickham has a history of speeding. A month before the fatal crash, a California Highway Patrol officer cited Bickham for driving 105 miles per hour, according to a complaint filed by prosecutors. He has also been involved in multiple motor vehicle accidents since 2014, according to the bail application. He has no other criminal history, records show.
Hochman said Bickham’s driving history played a role in the decision to open a homicide charge.
“This is not someone who suddenly woke up one day and was going over 100 miles per hour for the first time,” said the district attorney.
California Highway Patrol investigators spent months investigating the crash and trying to determine the speed Bickham was traveling before prosecutors filed charges Monday, according to CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris.
“This was a huge tragedy because it was an accident that could have been prevented due to the lack of concern for the safety of others,” said Margaris.
Margaris said Bickham’s speed allowed him to cover a distance of “about half a football field every second.”
It was not immediately clear who Bickham’s lawyer is and when he will make his first court appearance. If convicted as charged, Bickham faces up to life in prison.
Deng spent most of his career assigned to the LAPD’s Intelligence Unit, which helps officers respond to critical calls. He is survived by his wife and an orphaned daughter, and was the primary breadwinner for his elderly parents when he died, department officials said last year.
“He’s made light of a lot of situations, especially during school and all the time… He’s done everything he can, every time we’ve been in the department … He embodies all the important values that we stand for here,” LAPD Det. Victor Lopez said it was a colleague who fell last year.
After his death, dozens of mourners gathered outside the West LA station house where Deng worked to celebrate his time on the job.
His colleagues and friends remember him as a police officer who wanted to make a difference. Others recall that Deng never lost his cheerful attitude, even when he took on challenging roles as a gang cop in the city’s southern suburbs.
“He was known for putting others before himself and he never asked for recognition and always showed up for those in need,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference Monday.
Times Staff Writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.
