Driver Accused Of Turning Car Into ‘Missile’ Pleads Not Guilty In 405 Freeway Deaths

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Hawthorne man pleaded not guilty Thursday to two murder charges stemming from a 2025 crash on the San Diego (405) Freeway near Bel-Air that killed a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant and another motorist.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Louis T. Parise Jr. agreed to the prosecution's request to order Mario Joseph Bickham, 36, to be held without bail, with the judge noting that the defendant has a "long, documented driving history" with accidents and citations and had failed twice to appear involving speeding tickets.

Bickham had been jailed in lieu of $4 million bail since his first court appearance June 30 pending the more extensive bail hearing.

He was arrested and charged June 29 with two counts of murder stemming from the crash, which occurred shortly after 2 a.m. June 23, 2025, on the southbound San Diego Freeway just north of Moraga Drive. The crash killed 53-year-old LAPD Sgt. Shiou Deng and 34-year-old Jesus Garcia, whose 2004 Toyota Tundra had become disabled and blocking the HOV lane and another lane after it was struck by an unknown driver.

In a court filing, Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall wrote that the data recorder from the 2023 Nissan Maxima showed Bickham was driving at 112.5 mph five seconds before the crash and that he applied "hard brakes" in the seconds leading up to the collision, but crashed into the patrol car, Garcia's disabled Toyota and the two men.

During the two-minute period between the time the sergeant stopped to aid Garcia, about 33 vehicles safely passed the scene before Bickham crashed into the patrol car, the disabled car and the two victims, Siddall wrote.

The prosecutor contended that Bickham — whom he alleged has a driving history that is "littered with minor and serious infractions" — "has shown a pattern of recklessly endangering the public by using his vehicle in a manner extremely dangerous to human life despite repeated warnings" and that "he ignored them and continued his dangerous activity."

Siddall told the judge during Thursday's hearing that Bickham was traveling at such a speed that his car was effectively turned into "a missile."

Deputy Public Defender Stephen Borello countered in his court filing, "What happened to the two decedents in this case was a tragic accident. It was not murder."

He contended that the case was "grossly overcharged" and asked the judge to release Bickham on his own recognizance, noting that his client could be required to comply with conditions including GPS monitoring and relinquishing his driver's license and passport.

The defense attorney told the judge that Bickham works as a TSA agent, essentially "lives paycheck to paycheck" and couldn't afford any more than $500 bail, adding that a series of character letters written on Bickham's behalf and numerous court appearances by his supporters show his ties to the community.

Detailing the circumstances of the crash, Bickham's lawyer noted that his client had "slowed down considerably" to 77 mph at the time of impact

Garcia had just finished his shift at Whole Foods in Woodland Hills and was on his way home when his Toyota pickup was struck on the freeway by a hit-and-run driver, leaving it disabled in the southbound HOV lane. The hit-and- run driver has never been identified or located, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference announcing the charges in June.

A short time later, while Garcia's Toyota was disabled, another car swerved to avoid the pickup and wound up striking the freeway median and stopping a few hundred feet away, according to the district attorney.

Deng then arrived on the scene in his patrol vehicle and activated his emergency lights to alert oncoming motorists of the disabled vehicles. Thirty-three other vehicles safely drove past the area without incident before Bickham slammed into the patrol SUV and the sergeant, Hochman said.

Garcia, who was outside his vehicle, was also struck and died at the scene. A GoFundMe page created by Garcia's family described him as "a loving son, brother, uncle and friend whose kindness and warmth touched everyone he met."

Deng was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where he was pronounced dead.

"Sergeant Deng lived his life the way most of us wish we could — with kindness, with humor, and with purpose," LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at Deng's funeral last year. "He didn't just do the job, he lifted up people doing it beside him. He made people laugh when they needed it most. He made them feel seen, valued and included."

Deng was promoted to sergeant in 2023 and assigned to the department's West Los Angeles Division, according to the police chief. Deng had 26 1/2 years on the LAPD, 17 of which he served in the LAPD Mental Evaluation Unit.

Bickham was seriously injured in the crash.

He is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Nov. 4. Another judge is expected to be asked to review Bickham's bail and to set a date for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.

If convicted as charged, he faces two potential life prison terms.

City News Service