13-year-old shot and killed while waiting for mom to finish work, CA cops say
Saith Mendez was a typical 13-year-old California boy.
He enjoyed video games and “playing basketball with his friends from the neighborhood,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Thursday, Aug. 28, news conference shared on the department’s Facebook.
In a moment, though, Saith’s “life was taken way, way too soon;” Saith was fatally shot the evening of Saturday, Aug. 23, while waiting for his mother as she worked a night shift at a Pico Rivera gas station, Luna said.
Detectives identified a 20-year-old man as a suspect in the “unprovoked” shooting and was looking to the public for answers, Luna said.
“There are people that know this guy. They know where he’s at. They need to call us,” Luna said. “To murder an innocent 13-year-old in front of his mother the way he did, we need to, as a community. This is completely unacceptable. We need to get this guy off the streets.”
And hours after Luna’s plea, the man was arrested, deputies said in a news release.
McClatchy News is not naming the man as he has not been formally charged.
The man was found in Pico Rivera and booked into jail on a murder charge, deputies said.
“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” Pico Rivera Mayor John R. Garcia said at the news conference. “No parent should ever have to bury a child.”
On Aug. 23 shortly after 11:30 p.m., Saith left the car he was waiting in to speak with his mother inside the gas station where she worked, Luna said.
“After their conversation, he walked away from the gas station,” Luna said.
Moments later, Luna said, a car pulled up to a gas pump at the station.
The driver left the car, went to the service window and spoke with Saith’s mother, Luna said.
A man then left the rear passenger seat and lingered, according to Luna.
Saith walked back toward the gas station, passing the man, Luna said, adding that the two did not interact with one another.
“Unprovoked and, I repeat that unprovoked, (the man) drew a firearm, took several steps toward Saith and shot him at close range,” Luna said.
Saith collapsed, Luna said.
The man fired additional rounds as he stood over Saith lying on the ground, then fled from the area, Luna said.
Deputies rushed to the gas station and were joined by rescuers from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Luna said.
Despite efforts to save Saith, he died on scene, Luna said.
“Yes, we deal with these kinds of incidents once in a while,” Luna said, “but this one is a little different when we lose the life of a 13-year-old boy.”
Saith, Luna said, was “an incredible young man,” who “had a bright light, who had a bright and promising future.”
“Saith was one of five children,” Luna said. “He has three adult siblings and one younger sister.”
The driver and passenger of the car remained at the gas station, Luna said, adding that they were released after detectives interviewed them.
The arrested man was previously convicted of a violent assault in Bakersfield, according to Luna.
The man, who is being held on $2 million bail, is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 2, jail records show.
An investigation is ongoing, deputies said.
Pico Rivera is about a 10-mile drive southeast from downtown Los Angeles.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM with the headline "13-year-old shot and killed while waiting for mom to finish work, CA cops say."
