A bicyclist who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Long Beach last month was intentionally struck by the driver, and his death has now been ruled a homicide, police said.
The Long Beach Police Department announced Friday that detectives determined the driver deliberately struck 51-year-old Gerado Mejia near Cowles Street and Santa Fe Avenue in July.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner determined his manner of death was homicide.
Police described Mejia as a person experiencing homelessness.
The collision occurred around 2:38 a.m. July 6, when officers responded to the area and found Mejia in the roadway.
Long Beach Fire Department personnel attempted to save him, but he died at the scene.
Investigators initially said Mejia had been riding his bicycle westbound on Cowles Street when he was struck by a vehicle that had turned eastbound onto Cowles from southbound Santa Fe Avenue. The driver fled after the collision.
Detectives have since identified the suspected driver as 39-year-old Long Beach resident Kenneth Richard Sok.
In an unusual development, police said Sok was involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting in another jurisdiction on July 10, four days after Mejia was killed. The department did not identify the agency involved or provide additional details about that shooting.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Long Beach Police Department’s Collision Investigation Detail at 562-570-7355. Anonymous tips can be submitted to L.A. Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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