'I blame Gascón for all this,' says mother of slain El Monte officer
Olga Garcia blames District Attorney George Gascón for the death of her son Officer Joseph Santana.
"I blame Gascón for all this," she said. "He needs to go."
Santana and his partner Corporal Michael Paredes were gunned down by 35-year-old Justin Flores Tuesday night. Flores had a long criminal record and was on probation at the time of the shootout.
"He probably got out because of Gascon letting all these criminals out," Garcia said. "It's not fair."
Gascón's office declined our request for an interview about the plea deal but provided a written statement:
"At the time the court sentenced him, Mr. Flores did not have a documented history of violence."
Under California's three-strikes law, if you have a strike you are not eligible for probation.
"Mr. FLores should have been released from custody," said Eric Siddall, Vice President of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. "He should've spent 32 months in state prison."
Siddall has criticized his boss over Special Directive 20-08, which allows prosecutors to throw out a previous conviction when it comes to the prosecution of a three-strikes offender.
In April, a Los Angeles Times analysis found that Gascón's office brought charges in 58% of all felony cases in his year in office compared to his predecessor Jackie Lacey's 57% during her two terms.
However, in misdemeanor cases, Gascon filed charges 43% of the time — half of Lacey's 86%.
Gascón's office said that "experienced managers in the office reviewed the facts of the case and the criminal history of Mr. Flores and determined that his offer was on par with previous administrations."
"Under any other normal administration, this guy would've served 32 months in state prison because of the strike law, because prior DA's respected the law."
Putting the legal nuances of Flores' case aside, sorrow has turned into anger for a grieving mother.
"I hate him for what he did to these two officers," Garcia said. "They didn't deserve this. They were good people with families and small children."