The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed as he waited for her to finish her overnight shift at a Pico Rivera gas station said her son thought of himself as her protector.
Saith Toledo Mendez was watching out for his mother, Clara Mendez, Aug. 23 when he crossed paths with a killer in the gas station parking lot. Clara Mendez said she heard the sound of gunfire and looked outside at a horrific scene.
Her son was on the ground in the parking lot after being shot at close range.
“I got out as quick as I could, and I saw my boy on the ground with a bullet in his head,” she said. “I said, ‘Papi, please don’t leave me. Just stay with me.'”
Mendez said Saith had been sleeping in the car, as he often did during her night shifts, when he got up to use the restroom. On the way back to the car, he was approached by the gunman in what detectives called an unprovoked attack.
Clara Mendez said she worked at the gas station for two years and managed to support her family of four children, but does not plan to return to work at the location in the 8800 block of Whittier Boulevard. The family was staying in a homeless shelter in Orange County a few months ago, but moved into a place of their own.
Investigators say the teen was shot at least four times. Macy Jenkins reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2025.
“He would never leave me, ever,” Mendez said. “He was always with me, no matter what. Even if I told him, Papi, just stay, you have to go to school tomorrow. You got to rest. ‘No Mom, I’m your protector. I’m going to protect you.'”
Saith was honored Friday at a funeral at his family’s church in Costa Mesa. Family and friends remember a boy with aspirations of becoming a boxer or lawyer.
“Saith was more than just my brother,” said 18-year-old sister Nadia Mendez. “He was a loving, spirited and kind soul who touched the lives of many. Seeing so many people come together to honor his life reminds us of the love he shared for the world.”
A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the crime. The charge includes the special circumstance allegation of murder while lying in wait, along with allegations that he personally used and intentionally discharged a firearm, according to the criminal complaint.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is expected to decide later whether to seek the death penalty against the suspect, who is listed in the criminal complaint as having the moniker “Evil.”
He is also facing a felony count of carrying a loaded firearm on one’s person or in a vehicle, including an allegation that he was not the registered owner of the gun, according to the complaint.
After Saith collapsed, the suspect allegedly stood over him and fired, according to Sheriff Robert Luna, who said there was no prior interaction between the two.
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