driver charged – Mario Joseph Bickham, 36, was charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of LAPD Sgt. Shiou Deng and Jesus Garcia after prosecutors say he hit Deng’s car at about 112 mph on the 405 Freeway on June 23, 2025.
For a sergeant with more than two decades on the job, the moment of help turned into a fatal impact on the 405 Freeway.
Mario Joseph Bickham. 36. was charged Monday with murder for allegedly slamming into a Los Angeles police officer who had pulled to the side of the freeway to help another motorist. Prosecutors said the collision happened just before 2 a.m. on June 23, 2025, near the Getty Center exit, where Bickham was traveling at approximately 112 miles per hour.
Bickham faces two counts of murder tied to the deaths of LAPD Sgt. Shiou Deng and Jesus Garcia, 34, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Court records described what led to the deadly crash. Prosecutors allege Deng had just exited his car to help Garcia when Bickham plowed into him. Deng was pronounced dead at an area hospital a short time later.
Garcia’s vehicle, prosecutors said, had already been struck by another car and was disabled. A separate motion seeking to deny Bickham bail says another vehicle traveling at 70 miles per hour had crashed into the median barrier to avoid striking Garcia just before Deng pulled up.
Prosecutors also pointed to Bickham’s past driving behavior. They said he had a history of driving at excessive speeds. The month before the collision, a California Highway Patrol officer cited Bickham for driving at 105 miles per hour. The bail motion further says he had been involved in multiple car accidents dating back to 2014. Records show he has no other criminal history.
It was not immediately clear who Bickham’s attorney was or when he would make his first court appearance.
The charges come as colleagues and friends continue to mourn Deng. a 26-year LAPD veteran who was assigned much of his career to the department’s Mental Evaluation Unit. which helps officers respond to crisis calls. Department officials said last year that he was survived by his wife and stepdaughter. and that he was the primary caretaker for his elderly parents.
LAPD Det. Victor Lopez described Deng as someone who brought steadiness and care to difficult moments.
“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,” Lopez said last year.
After Deng’s death, scores of mourners gathered outside the West L.A. station house where he worked to celebrate his time on the job. Colleagues and friends remembered him as a cop who wanted to make a difference. and some recalled that he never lost his cheerful attitude even in challenging assignments 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.
LAPD Shiou Deng Mario Joseph Bickham 405 Freeway murder charge Los Angeles news traffic fatality prosecutors