Alleged Gunman In Shooting Death Of Whittier Cop Was Not Part Of Early Prison Release: Calif. Corrections Dept.

LOS ANGELES, CA — The gunman suspected in the shooting death of Whittier police officer Keith Boyer was not part of the early prison release program, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Early Tuesday, it was reported by several local media sources that Michael Christopher Mejia, 26, was released early under Assembly Bill 109, the program that many in law enforcement blamed for the uptick in crimes, citing a sheriff's lieutenant.

"None of the state's recent criminal justice reforms -- including AB 109, Proposition 47 or Proposition 57 -- impacted when this individual was released from state prison," CDCR's spokeswoman Vicky Waters said.

Waters said under AB 109, a probationer with a non-violent crime who has served his time is sent to the county's probation office for supervision. The bill does not reduce an inmate's prison time, she said.

Boyer, 53, was killed about 8 a.m. Monday while responding to a traffic crash near Colima Road and Mar Vista Street. The grandfather, school resource officer and drummer in a classic rock tribute band was a 27-year veteran of the department.

Another officer, identified by Whittier police Chief Jeff Piper as three-year veteran Patrick Hazell, was injured in the shooting but had stable vital signs.

Boyer is the first Whittier officer killed in the line of duty in about 37 years.

Sheriff's homicide Lt. John Corina said witnesses identified the shooter as possibly the gunman involved in a murder earlier Monday involving a stolen car the gunman ultimately crashed in Whittier. That homicide and car theft occurred about 5:30 a.m. Monday at a home in the 1400 block of Volney Drive in the East Los Angeles/City Terrace area, according to Deputy Kimberly Alexander of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

The victim in that shooting was identified as Roy Torres, 49, who was reported to be a cousin of the gunman.

The Whittier shootout began shortly after the suspect rear-ended some motorists near Colima and Mar Vista, disabling the vehicle he was driving, authorities said. He then asked people in the car he struck to help him move the disabled vehicle, according to Corina.

Officers arriving at the scene around 8 a.m. were told by motorists that the suspect was around the corner with the disabled car, Corina said.

When officers approached the suspect, he was sitting in his car. As they asked him to get out of the car and prepared to pat him down for weapons, he pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and began firing at the officers, at least one of whom returned fire, wounding the suspect, Corina said.

The sheriff's lieutenant said the suspect was a resident of Los Angeles, who had been released from custody about two weeks ago. The suspect's gun was recovered at the scene, Corina said.

"Here you have a case where two officers walk up on a vehicle where they believe someone needs medical assistance, and they end up in a gun battle fighting for their lives," Sheriff Jim McDonnell told reporters.

According to court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Mejia was sentenced in 2010 to four years in prison for robbery, then convicted in July 2014 of auto theft and attempted vehicle theft, leading to a two-year sentence. He was released from Pelican Bay State Prison on April 19, 2016, and under the legislation known as AB 109, he was placed under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Probation Department instead of state parole officials, according to the sheriff's department.

Mejia reported to the probation department on April 20, 2016, sheriff's officials said.

He was arrested last summer for violating the terms of his probation and spent 10 days in jail. He was arrested again in September and January. He was ordered to spend 40 days in jail, but was released in 10, The Times reported. He was arrested again Feb. 2 and sentenced to 10 days in jail. He was released Feb. 11.

In the aftermath of Boyer's shooting, Piper spoke out against legislation such as AB 109 and other measures that have reduced sentences for some offenders and made others eligible for early release. Piper suggested Monday that Mejia shouldn't have been on the streets.

"We need to wake up," Piper said during the emotional Monday news conference. "Enough is enough. Passing these propositions, you're creating these laws that is raising crime. It's not good for our communities and it's not good for our officers. What you have today is an example of that. So we need to pull our head out of the sand and start realizing what we're doing to our communities and to our officers who give their life like Officer Boyer did today."

"You have no idea how things have changed in the last four years," Piper added. "People don't want to follow rules, don't care about people."

Piper's concerns were echoed by Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell who spoke about the passage of new laws that put convicted criminals back on the streets without proper treatment.

"AB 109 provides for some early releases. Prop 47 stops people from entering the system and Prop 57 accelerates their release," McDonnell said.

"County jail has become a default state prison," McDonnell said. "But people need to be rehabilitated before they get released on to the streets. There also needs to be drug treatment and treatment for mental illness first. Right now, we are putting people on the streets who are not ready to be on the streets."

Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula, concurred with Piper, saying that since voter passage of Prop 47 in 2014 and the signing of AB 109 in 2011, "violent crime has been on the rise in California, up 12 percent in 2015 statewide."

The state Senate was expected to adjourn Tuesday in honor of Boyer, according to Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis offered prayers for the injured officer and the community.

"The brave men and women of our law enforcement agencies go to work every day knowing that they may find themselves in danger's path, yet they never turn their backs on protecting our community," Solis said. "Los Angeles County stands with the fallen officer and we hope for a speedy recovery of the other injured officer. Our prayers are with the community of Whittier."

-- City News Service contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of the Whittier Police Department