Valley LAPD Officer Jailed on Murder Charges

A former Los Angeles police officer suspected of fatally shooting a man following a fistfight at a Pomona bar on March 13 and then fleeing to Mexico was booked today at the Pomona city jail.

Henry Solis, 27, was arrested May 26 by Mexican authorities in the border city of Juarez and was then deported to the United States, where he was booked into the El Paso County Jail.

Pomona police detectives went to Texas to bring Solis back to Southern California. Deputy Chief Michael Olivieri announced about 2:40 p.m. that Solis had been booked and the extradition process went smoothly.

Solis was staying with relatives in the Juarez area prior to his arrest, FBI officials said. Special Agent Scott Garriola said Solis was “moved from one house to another” to help him avoid capture.

Solis allegedly killed Salome Rodriguez Jr., 23, while a probationary officer in the LAPD’s Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley. The former Marine was fired by the department soon after becoming a fugitive.

Federal authorities said Solis fled to Mexico with the help of his father, Victor, 53, who was convicted by a federal jury today of lying to the FBI about helping his son escape.

He was arrested after the father and son were spotted by a security camera as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on March 14.

Victor Solis has an Aug. 20 sentencing date. He is facing up to five years in prison, according to the El Paso Times.

City News Service