Suspect Charged in Baby’s Death

HAWTHORNE POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

August 29, 2013 

A Hawthorne man was charged today with murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 14-month-old baby, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Linda Loftfield said Julio Mejia, 44 (dob 6/18/69), is also charged with one count of assault on a child causing death.  Mejia is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in Department 144 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Airport Branch.

The child, identified as Bryan C. in the criminal complaint, allegedly was killed by blunt force trauma on Aug. 25 in a Hawthorne apartment shared by the defendant, the baby’s mother and two older siblings.  Mejia is not the baby’s biological father.    

Mejia is charged in case SA085101.  The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Hawthorne Police Department.

Prosecutors recommended that bail be set at $1 million.  If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a maximum state prison sentence of 25 years to life.    

About the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office

Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey leads the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation.  Her staff of nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 investigators and 800 support staff members is dedicated to seeking justice for victims of crime and enhancing public safety.  Annually, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office prosecutes more than 60,000 felonies and 140,000 misdemeanor crimes.

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Contact:  Lieutenant Scott Swain

Detective Bureau Commander / Public Information Officer

(310) 349-2835

Message to the Community from the Hawthorne Chief of Police

HAWTHORNE POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

July 12, 2013 

To All the Members of our Community:

As our public safety service demands, we have continued to address critical aspects involving the highly-publicized officer-shooting of a Rottweiler dog ‘Max’. As our City’s intrinsic citizens, you know that this Police Department remain accountable to any and all actions we undertake. Accordingly, that legal work began in the days immediately following the incident and has continued through, customarily. In my efforts to ensure findings are factual and not perceived as biased or premeditated, I have already engaged the following processes:

• I have made [a] request to the Sheriff of Los Angeles County to have his department conduct an administrative investigation into the formal complaint of actions committed by my officers related to the incident in question.

• I have begun assembling a ‘Use of Force’ analysis group focused on how to best deal with animal encounters and threats. In this, early collaboration offerings will include major stakeholders such as ‘spcaLa,’ ‘The Humane Society of the United States’, the Department of Justice’s ‘Community Oriented Policing’ Office and the ‘National Canine Research Council’. Methodologies, prevention and force options will be assessed and implemented to offer both officers and animals alike, safer outcomes.

• Concurrently, our City Attorney’s Office will be forwarding the criminal charge filing related to the dog’s owner to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for their separate review and determination.

Continue to be assured that even though this trying and scrutinizing period, our commitment to professionalism, accountability and optimum public safety service remain preeminent.

Robert Fager
Chief of Police

Message to the Community from the Hawthorne Chief of Police

HAWTHORNE POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

July 3, 2013 

To All the Members of our Community 

A video-taped event captured this past weekend, depicting an arrest and subsequent shooting of the arrestee’s dog by a Police Officer, has drawn significant notoriety. This Department truly feels in the loss of the Rottweiler dog “Max” and for those impacted by such. We, as a Department, as animal owners ourselves, and the Officer directly involved himself, all relate and empathize in this. This connection is equally rooted in our own canine programs our Department maintains in bolstering public service and outreach. Our own diverse uses range from not only patrol and detection dogs, but one of the only Law Enforcement-hosted “Service” dogs in the country. 

In turn, social media responses have not only contained writer opinion but unfortunately some have been direct threats of harm to our employees. The reality is that our current investigation, and the inherent rights afforded to respective parties, prudently govern what we can and cannot publish or expound upon. Information and evidence is continuously being garnered in order to allow us to properly determine legitimate findings and conduct appropriate actions. Unfortunately, in the midst of this social media response, fallacies are being perpetuated and outright criminal threats are being made. In the public forum of various websites, Department employees have been mis-identified as the officer who shot. This has led to criminal threats of harm directed not only at City employees, but also at similarly-named public citizens who just happen to live and work in our surrounding region. This is intrinsically wrong in every way and unfairly detracts from the others who have professionally communicated with us. 

I wish to reassure all that this matter is being addressed in the most appropriate manner demanded and afforded. I ask for all to look no farther than into our own Community for the true reality of our partnerships and efforts that we apply daily in safeguarding our citizens. The Hawthorne Police Department will be accountable to its constituents and to our actions - please allow us to fulfill such. We truly sympathize with the feelings and impact suffered by all who have witnessed this incident. 

Robert Fager
Chief of Police

Obstruction Arrest / Officer Involved Shooting

HAWTHORNE POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

July 1, 2013 

On June 30, 2013, at approximately 5:44pm, Officers from the Hawthorne Police Department responded to a residence in the area of 137th Street & Jefferson Avenue, City of Hawthorne, in regard to an armed robbery - gun used – which occurred to two individuals inside of a home.  Upon arrival, Officers engaged several subjects involved in the robbery, who quickly barricaded themselves in the home and refused orders to come out.  Officers used several resources, including the Department’s armored tactical vehicle and a loud-speaker system, in an attempt to communicate and bring the incident to safe resolution.  After an approximate one hour and forty-five minute standoff, the individuals surrendered from the home and the suspect responsible for the robbery was identified and arrested. 

During this evolving critical incident and the extraction of suspects from the home, Officers containing the location were interfered with by an individual.  This interference included loud, distracting music (from the individual’s vehicle), and his intentional walking within close-proximity to armed officers, while holding an 80-pound Rottweiler on a long leash-line.  These acts, in totality, created an increasingly dangerous situation and demanded Officers’ focus away from the matter at hand.  By comparison, numerous citizens were filming similarly as the suspect, but from a safe distance and compliant to Officers’ regards.

Once all parties to the original robbery incident were apprehended, two officers approached this suspect to address the violation(s) of law.  Just prior to approach, the suspect placed his dog back into his car, but did not close the windows.  As the suspect was being taken into custody, his Rottweiler became agitated and jumped out of the car, approaching the officers who were making the arrest.  An assisting officer came to aid and attempted to control the Rottweiler, first by gaining control of the leash.  However, the dog lunged and made aggressive movements toward the officer(s).  Fearing that the attacking Rottweiler would imminently bite the officer(s), one officer

fired his duty weapon several times, striking and killing the dog.  The suspect, later identified as Leon Rosby, was arrested and booked at the Hawthorne Police Department Jail for ‘Interference with Officer(s)’. 

The Hawthorne Police Department is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the actions of each party, our Officers, and to ensure appropriate adherence to our Department policies and procedures.  Additionally, the Department is truly sensitive to the invariable loss of the dog in this incident.

The Hawthorne Police Department asks that if any personal video taken by citizens present at this incident is willing to be shared in our Investigation, please contact us.  

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Contact:  Lieutenant Scott Swain

Detective Bureau Commander / Public Information Officer

(310) 349-2835