A man suspected of killing a Whittier police officer in a shootout Monday, hours after slaying his cousin, was released from prison under a controversial program that many law enforcement agencies blame for an uptick in crime, authorities said.
Michael Christopher Mejia, 26, of Los Angeles, was identified Tuesday by authorities as the suspect in the fatal shootings of Whittier police Officer Keith Boyer and 46-year-old Roy Torres, the suspect’s cousin.
Related story: Suspect in death of Whittier officer also shot cousin in East L.A. home, family says
Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau said Mejia was released from state prison in April 2016 following a grand theft auto conviction in 2014. He was on probation under Assembly Bill 109, a state law mandating early prison releases for nonviolent offenders, when he allegedly shot and killed Boyer and Torres. AB 109 was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011.
The law has come under intense criticism from law enforcement agencies, including Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper. “We need to wake up. Enough is enough. You’re passing these propositions, you’re creating these laws. ... It’s not good for our community (and) it’s not good for our officers,” Piper said on Monday.
Related story: Thousands gather at vigil for Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer Mejia is suspected of fatally shooting Boyer and wounding his partner Officer Patrick Hazell in a shootout that began around 8 a.m. when the two officers responded to a traffic collision at Mar Vista Street and Colima Road.
Authorities said the suspect rear-ended two vehicles stopped at the intersection while he was driving the car he stole from Torres hours earlier.
When officers arrived and approached the suspect, Corina said Mejia pulled out a hand gun from his waistband and shot at both Boyer and Hazell, striking both of them. Mejia was also struck during the brief gun battle.
Mejia is suspected of also fatally shooting Torres a few hours earlier in the 1400 block of Volney Drive before stealing his car.
Los Angeles County booking records show Mejia was arrested by law enforcement five times since July. Corina said the majority of those arrests were for violating his probation.
He was not sure what the violations were, but said they “were all different incidents.”
Mejia has not been charged in either of the Monday killings. Corina said he remains in the hospital and is on a “flash incarceration” hold, a period of detention in county jail due to violations of AB 109 probation. These holds typically last for up to 10 days, according to state law.
In 2010, Mejia was convicted of robbery and sentenced to four years in prison, according to court records. His 2014 conviction came with a two year prison sentence.
Under AB 109, felons are considered eligible for release from state prison if the current conviction they’re serving time for is nonviolent.
This story is developing.
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