WALNUT, Calif. (AP) — A man accused of intentionally hitting and killing a former co-worker with his car at a Southern California community college called the victim out by name in a social media post in which he claimed he was treated unfairly while he worked at the school, according to a news report.
James Milliken was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder shortly after Rafael Barragan Jr. was found dead on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College in eastern Los Angeles County. Milliken, 38, was held in lieu of $2 million bail and it wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney.
Milliken wrote on Facebook in October 2021 that he was quitting his job as a tram driver at the college and complained about how he was “degraded, discarded,” the Orange County Register reported Saturday.
Jill Dolan, a Mt. San Antonio spokesperson, confirmed to the Register that the profile belonged to Milliken. School officials had no further comment on Milliken's statements.
In the lengthy post, Milliken accuses his co-workers of treating him unfairly, making racist comments, spreading rumors about him and commenting on his hair.
In one paragraph, he claims Barragan threatened him on multiple occasions and convinced others to harass him. No other employees were named.
Barragan, 63, was on foot when he was struck and killed by a vehicle around 7:30 a.m. Monday, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.
Sheriff’s Lt. Patty Thomas said Milliken remained at the scene as law enforcement officials arrived, but she would not say why investigators believe the crash was intentional.
Both Barragan and Milliken were tram drivers at the college.
The school's president, William T. Scroggins, described Barragan as “one of our campus’s shining lights" in a statement Thursday following the arrest.
Milliken was scheduled to appear in court Monday, according to inmate records.
