Ex-LAPD Officer Pleads Not Guilty To Killing Man After Pomona Fistfight
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A former Los Angeles police officer and Marine accused of fatally shooting a man after a fistfight in a Pomona bar, then fleeing to Mexico, pleaded guilty Friday to murder and other charges.
Henry Solis, 27, is also charged with one count of assault with a firearm and an allegation that he personally discharged a handgun. He remains jailed on $10 million bail pending his next appearance in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Aug. 28, when a date is scheduled for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
Solis faces a potential life prison term if convicted.
Solis, who was a probationary officer in the LAPD's Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley, was off-duty when he allegedly killed Salome Rodriguez Jr., 23, on March 13. He was fired by the department soon after becoming a fugitive.
Police said Solis Rodriguez got into a fight in a bar, and the confrontation spilled into the street and ended with gunfire.
Solis subsequently became the subject of an extensive manhunt. His father, Victor, drove Solis out of state and later told federal authorities that he had simply dropped his son off at a Texas bus stop. The pair, however, were caught on surveillance video walking across the Mexico border.
The former LAPD officer was arrested May 26 by Mexican authorities in the border city of Juarez and deported to the United States. He had been staying with relatives in the Juarez area prior to his arrest, FBI officials said.
Special Agent Scott Garriola said Solis was moved from house to house so he could avoid capture.
Victor Solis, 53, was convicted by a federal jury in El Paso of lying to the FBI about helping his son escape. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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