Driver Charged With Murder in 112mph Crash That Killed Cop

A Los Angeles driver accused of topping 110mph on the 405 freeway is now facing two murder counts, the Los Angeles Times reports. Prosecutors say 36-year-old Mario Joseph Bickham was driving about 112mph near the Getty Center exit around 2am on June 23, 2025, when he slammed into LAPD Sgt. Shiou Deng, who had pulled over with lights and sirens on to help stranded motorist Jesus Garcia. Both men were killed. Garcia, 34, was heading home from work at Whole Foods and had already been hit by a still-unidentified hit-and-run driver, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. Garcia was standing outside his pickup truck when the fatal collision occurred, CBS News reports.

Court filings say the police lights could be seen from hundreds of yards away and 33 other drivers managed to avoid the scene before Bickham's car approached; another vehicle had crashed into the median while trying not to hit Garcia, KTLA reports. Prosecutors point to Bickham's record: he was cited a month earlier for allegedly doing 105mph and has multiple prior crashes dating to 2014, though no other criminal history. That record helped justify the murder charges, Hochman said. A CHP official called the wreck "a preventable crash" and said Bickham's speed meant he was traveling nearly half a football field per second. If convicted, Bickham faces a potential life sentence. Deng, a 26-year LAPD veteran, is survived by his wife, stepdaughter, and elderly parents.