An off-roading adventure turned into a nightmare in Riverside when a BLM officer shot a pair of riders claiming that they failed to stop. The riders are telling quite a different story.
“What I remember the most was the blood, the blood…she had blood everywhere,” said Pedro Mejia, the driver of the Razor.
Blood dripped down his wife’s face after she was shot by an officer who allegedly felt threatened.
“The first thing my husband did was say we’re stopping, we’re stopping. And I immediately put my hands up too, and right after I raised my hand in the air is when he fire the shot,” said Denise Mejia, who was grazed by the bullet in the head and was shot in the hand.
Denise and Pedro say that they were already stopped to fix a flat tire.
“My razor got no rear tire, I mean completely broken and all of a sudden these two vehicles turn on their lights and zoomed in,” said Pedro.
The vehicles came to a stop, the couple put their hands up when instructed and shots were fired claims Pedro.
“I remember my wife just screaming I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die,” he said with a quiver in his voice.
The Bureau of Land Management however is claiming quite a different story saying that the victims did not stop when they were told and were actually off-roading in a restricted area.
“They didn’t say anything. They didn’t tell us to stop. In fact, we were the only once that were talking,” said Denise.
“All we had was an ice chest cooler, no alcohol, we had a metal detector, we had a gun in the vehicle, it’s for coyotes, but it was tucked away
Denise is recovering from hand surgery and received 15 staples in her head. The couple says that they still haven't gotten their personal belongings back, including their driver's license and bank cards.
As of now, no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.