Hochman super PAC releases ad blaming Gascón for deaths of two El Monte police officers

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A super PAC supporting Nathan Hochman, who is challenging George Gascón for Los Angeles County district attorney, is out with a new ad highlighting the shooting deaths of two El Monte police officers in June of 2022.

In the ad - seen first on ABC7 - El Monte police officer and union president Wyatt Reneer says the gunman in the shooting was released early from jail because of Gascón's policies.

"As police, we put our lives on the line every day to protect the public, but we need a district attorney that will protect you and us. That's Nathan Hochman," Reneer says in the ad.

El Monte police officers Michael Paredes and Joseph Santana were gunned down responding to a report of a stabbing at a motel. They were killed by convicted felon Justin Flores, who was out on probation for a weapons violation. Flores later died by suicide.

"When Gascón said to his prosecutors you will not be able to file strike offenses, not because of the facts of the law, but because of his political agenda against it - Justin Flores did not have that strike filed," Hochman said. "Justin Flores basically got out of prison in less than I think a year. Otherwise, he would have been in prison for years."

In a statement, Gascón 's campaign said:

"As a thirty-year police officer himself, DA Gascón is heartbroken that these two gentlemen were stolen from their families so senselessly. But Mr. Hochman is attempting to score political points by distorting the history of Mr. Flores, whose actions that day were horrific but in no way predictable by his past involvement with the criminal justice system.

"It's a dishonest fear-mongering tactic we'd expect from Donald Trump, whose playbook Mr. Hochman seems to share."

In an August poll conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, Gascón trails Hochman 20% to 45%, with 35% of likely voters undecided.

Lawsuits have been filed against Gascón and the L.A. County Probation Department.

Flores was supposed to have monthly check-ins with his probation officer, but records show he was only seen once after being put on probation in March of 2021.

Hochman says the probation issue is irrelevant because Flores should have still been in jail.