Man ordered to stand trial in off-duty police officer's killing

A man accused of fatally shooting an off-duty Monterey Park police officer during what authorities called a botched daytime robbery attempt in a parking lot in Downey was ordered Friday to stand trial on murder and other charges.

Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Porras rejected the defense's motion to dismiss the case against Carlos Delcid, who is accused of gunning down off- duty Officer Gardiel Solorio, 26, on Aug. 8, 2022.

Delcid, now 21, is charged with one count each of murder, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon involving the shooting, along with one count of second-degree robbery involving an April 2022 robbery in Long Beach.

The murder charge against Delcid includes the special-circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery.

Downey police Detective Ron Gee testified that surveillance video showed one person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans and a full black ski mask getting out of a black Honda Accord, with the sound of five gunshots subsequently being heard.

The Honda was subsequently stopped that night by Long Beach police, and Delcid and a teenager who was the driver were taken into custody, according to the detective.

Delcid was wearing dark jeans and a white tank top at the time, and a gray hooded sweatshirt and a full black face mask were later discovered inside the vehicle, Gee testified.

Co-defendant Gerardo Magallanes, now 19, was arrested three days later, according to the detective.

Magallanes was ordered to stand trial last year on one count each of murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and unlawful firearm activity. He is awaiting trial.

A juvenile who was 17 at the time and was allegedly driving the getaway car is undergoing proceedings in a juvenile court.

During a subsequent jailhouse operation, Magallanes told undercover operatives that he was in the vehicle with Delcid and the teenager and that they were going to try to "come up on" -- or rob -- someone, the detective testified.

Magallanes said during the undercover operation that he heard five "pops" after seeing Delcid -- whom he identified by the moniker "Reckless" - - getting out of the car and going to the Dodge Charger, with Delcid subsequently getting back in the getaway vehicle.

During a separate jailhouse operation, Delcid discussed a shooting and said he wore a face mask, referring to it as a full face mask, according to the detective.

Long Beach police Detective Jacqueline Parkhill testified that the victim of an April 26, 2022, robbery of a man in Long Beach told police that he had been robbed of his "chain" by a man who ripped it off his neck, demanded his wallet and fired a shot toward the ground in his direction when the victim balked at his demand.

The detective said she believed that man was 75% confident that a photo depicting Delcid was his assailant, but said that man also indicated that there was a chance that it could have been another person shown to him in the collection of photos.

That charge was added to the case just before the hearing began.

At an August 2022 news conference announcing the charges, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Solorio was in his vehicle in the parking lot of an LA Fitness gym in the 12700 block of Lakewood Boulevard, near the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway, when a suspect -- later identified as Delcid - - allegedly got out of a car nearby and approached Solorio "with a gun drawn in what appeared to be an attempted robbery."

"Officer Solorio attempted to flee by backing up his vehicle when the suspect fired multiple times," Gascón said. "The (suspect) then returned back to the vehicle, where a juvenile was behind the wheel and they fled the scene."

Solorio -- a rookie just weeks out of the academy -- was found unresponsive in his car by authorities, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Then-Monterey Park Police Department Chief Kelly Gordon called his killing "a senseless act of violence."

Gordon said at a news conference that Solorio, who grew up in Bell Gardens and graduated from Cal State Los Angeles with a degree in criminal justice, joined the department as a recruit in January, and had just graduated from the sheriff's training academy on July 22 before beginning his field training July 25.

"Although his time with (the department) was very short, we all knew from the moment we met him that he had the heart of service and was going to be a great officer," she said then.

"And I could tell that from the moment he walked in and did our first introductions in my office. The family and department are grieving right now, and this is an especially difficult tragedy. It's a senseless act of violence. He was only 26 years old. I don't know about all of you, but I have children that age. So to me, this is particularly difficult."

Delcid's arrest led to criticism by opponents of Gascón who contend that his policies allowed the defendant to avoid extended jail time earlier that year.

Critics said Delcid should have still been behind bars in connection with a criminal case filed in February 2022, in which he was charged with burglary, domestic violence, assault, false imprisonment and witness intimidation.

According to court records, Delcid pleaded no contest to the burglary and domestic violence counts and was sentenced in March 2022 to four years probation and 180 days in jail. Jail records indicate he was released from custody the next day, with credit for time already served.

Critics said Delcid may not have gotten such a lenient sentence and might still have been behind bars if Gascón had allowed prosecutors to file a sentencing enhancement for the use of a knife in the case.