BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Bakersfield Police Department is being sued by the family of a man who was fatally shot during a foot chase in June of 2021 when he turned toward an officer while armed with a shotgun.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, the family of Abraham Torres Meza alleged wrongful death and a civil rights violation in the shooting that occurred on Highway 99 at Houghton Road.
The suit, filed by attorneys with Los Angeles-based Mardirossian Akaragian LLP, said an officer identified as “R. Guerrero” did not give any warning before firing.
Body-worn camera footage released by the department, however, contains footage in which an officer is clearly heard yelling, “Hey, I’mma shoot you, (expletive),” seconds before firing at Meza, who turns toward him while holding a shotgun. That gun and two handguns in a backpack Meza wore were recovered, police said.
The shooting happened early June 24, 2021, when police tried to stop a red Chevrolet Avalanche in the area of Bradley Avenue and Fremont Street. The vehicle led officers on a chase that ended up on Highway 99.
Just before the Houghton Road exit, the driver of the Avalanche lost control and crashed, according to police. Three men jumped out and started running, police said.
The department said Meza ran onto the southbound Highway 99 lanes, where the shooting occurred. Meza was declared dead at the scene.
The other two men — Jorge Retamoza-Martinez and Jose Alberto Perez Jr. — were arrested on suspicion of grand theft, possession of burglary tools and other offenses. Court records show all charges were dismissed against Retamoza-Martinez, and Perez pleaded no contest to gun possession by a felon.
Burglary tools and four catalytic converters were found inside the Avalanche, police said.
A hearing is scheduled for November.
