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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner determined his manner of death was homicide.<\/p>\n
Police described Mejia as a person experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n
The collision occurred around 2:38 a.m. July 6, when officers responded to the area and found Mejia in the roadway.<\/p>\n
Long Beach Fire Department personnel attempted to save him, but he died at the scene.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Detectives have since identified the suspected driver as 39-year-old Long Beach resident Kenneth Richard Sok.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n