LA judge won't lower bail for ex-transit officer

By THOMAS WATKINS Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A former San Francisco Bay Area transit police officer charged with murdering an unarmed man at an Oakland train station has lost his bid to have his bail reduced.

Johannes Mehserle appeared Friday in a Los Angeles courtroom to seek a reduction of his $3 million bail. His lawyer also asked that Alameda County prosecutors be removed from the case because of alleged misconduct.

The judge denied both requests and noted that Mehserle remains a flight risk.

Mehserle has pleaded not guilty to murdering Oscar Grant on a train station platform on New Year's Day 2009. Mehserle says he mistakenly pulled out his handgun instead of his Taser stun gun.

An Alameda County judge ruled in October that the trial be moved out of Oakland because of excessive media coverage and racial tensions. Trial has been scheduled for June 7.