Former Los Angeles policeman caught in Mexico charged with murder

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former Los Angeles police officer who was arrested in Mexico after fleeing there following the shooting death of a Southern California man has been formally charged with murder in the high profile case, prosecutors said on Friday. Henry Solis, 27, was taken into custody in the border city of Ciudad Juarez on a murder warrant late last month and deported to the United States. He was brought to California from Texas on Thursday and booked into jail in Pomona, California. Authorities say Solis is accused of shooting Salome Rodriguez Jr. multiple times on March 13 near a strip of nightclubs in downtown Pomona, about 35 miles (55 km) east of Los Angeles, following an altercation there. Solis was off-duty at the time of the shooting. The ex-LAPD officer was charged with one count of murder and one count of assault with a firearm and ordered held on $2 million bail, Los Angeles County prosecutors said. He was expected to make an initial court appearance later on Friday. Solis was terminated by the Los Angeles Police Department after he was named a suspect in the case. Authorities said Solis then fled to Mexico, allegedly with the help of his father, 53-year-old Victor Solis. The father was arrested in late March and charged with lying to federal agents. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sandra Maler)