--- title: "Hawthorne Man Charged With Murder in 405 Crash That Killed an LAPD Sergeant" description: "A Hawthorne man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after prosecutors say he was driving 112 mph — nearly twice the limit — when he slammed into an on-duty LAPD sergeant who had stopped to help a stranded motorist on the 405 Freeway, killing both men." category: "Los Angeles" category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles author: "Julian Mercado" published: 2026-06-30T01:48:00.000Z updated: 2026-06-30T01:48:00.000Z canonical: https://herald.la/article/hawthorne-man-charged-with-murder-in-405-crash-that-killed-an-lapd-sergeant tags: ["LAPD", "405 Freeway", "murder charges", "traffic fatality", "Brentwood", "Los Angeles County DA"] --- # Hawthorne Man Charged With Murder in 405 Crash That Killed an LAPD Sergeant A Hawthorne man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after prosecutors say he was driving 112 mph — nearly twice the limit — when he slammed into an on-duty LAPD sergeant who had stopped to help a stranded motorist on the 405 Freeway, killing both men. More than a year after a fatal crash on the 405, prosecutors have decided it was no accident in the eyes of the law. ## A sergeant who stopped to help Just after 2 a.m. on June 23, 2025, LAPD Sgt. Shiou Lih Deng, 53, was driving his marked patrol car south on the 405 near the Getty Center when he came upon a disabled pickup stopped in the traffic lanes. Deng — a nearly 27-year veteran who spent much of his career with the department's Mental Evaluation Unit — switched on his emergency lights and pulled over to help, [the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said](https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/speeding-driver-charged-murders-lapd-sgt-shiou-deng-and-stranded-motorist-jesus-garcia). As he stepped out, a speeding sedan struck his cruiser, the disabled truck, and the truck's driver, 34-year-old Jesús Arturo Garcia, who was standing beside his vehicle. Garcia died at the scene; Deng was taken to UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. ## Murder charges, a year later On Monday, after a lengthy investigation by the California Highway Patrol's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, the District Attorney's Office charged the sedan's driver — Mario Joseph Bickham, 36, of Hawthorne — with two felony counts of second-degree murder. Data recovered from his car showed it was traveling about 112.5 mph in a 65 mph zone five seconds before impact, prosecutors said, and they noted no evidence of drug or alcohol impairment; the case rests on the allegation of extreme speed. Bickham, who was injured in the crash, is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and prosecutors are seeking to hold him without bail or, alternatively, on $4 million bail. If convicted on both counts, he faces up to 30 years to life in prison. "Speeding kills," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "If you drive over 100 mph and kill someone, you are on a fast-track to a murder charge." ## Two men remembered LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Deng "put himself in harm's way in order to alert others coming behind him of the seriousness" of the hazard, calling him "somebody that we will all look to as an inspiration." Mayor Karen Bass called it "a sad day for our city." Garcia, the second man killed, was driving home when his truck broke down; his family described him as "a loving son, brother, uncle and friend whose kindness and warmth touched everyone he met." An arraignment for Bickham is expected to be scheduled in the coming days. ## Sources - [Speeding driver charged with murders of LAPD Sgt. Shiou Deng and stranded motorist Jesus Garcia](https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/speeding-driver-charged-murders-lapd-sgt-shiou-deng-and-stranded-motorist-jesus-garcia) - [2 dead including LAPD sergeant in crash on southbound 405 in Brentwood](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/southbound-405-freeway-brentwood-deadly-crash/)