Worker Held in Slaying of County Roads Supervisor : Crime: Police describe him as a disgruntled employee who left his job on a disability leave three years ago.

A man described by police as a disgruntled county worker was arrested on a murder charge in the shooting of a Los Angeles County public works supervisor in October, investigators announced Monday.

The suspect, Artis Ray Bell, 38, is being held without bail at Van Nuys Jail after his arrest at his Inglewood home on Wednesday, said Lt. Ross Moen.

Bell, who took a disability leave from his job as a road maintenance worker three years ago after suffering a back injury, is accused of shooting his former boss, Herman Richards, 42, several times in Richards’ office at a Department of Public Works maintenance yard in Westchester on Oct. 22.

Public works officials said Bell, who had worked for the department since 1975, ran out of disability benefits about a week before the shooting. Officials said Bell had spoken to Richards about returning to work but was physically ineligible to get back his old job.

Moen said police were still looking for the murder weapon, believed to be a .38-caliber handgun. The county has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to its recovery.

Moen said witnesses and undisclosed physical evidence tied Bell to the shooting. Bell was arrested on a warrant at his home without incident, the lieutenant said.

Without elaborating, Moen said Monday was the “appropriate time” to announce the arrest.

Richards, described as a popular 20-year veteran of public works, was shot in the upper body shortly after starting his shift when a gunman entered his unlocked office at the 83rd Street yard at about 5:30 a.m., police said. The yard typically is open at that hour because street-sweeping crews arrive at about 3 a.m.

Moen said witnesses saw a person go into Richards’ office, then heard shots and saw someone leave in a car parked on West 83rd Street. But witnesses did not positively identify that person.

Richards supervised about 30 workers who maintain 300 miles of road in the unincorporated areas of southwestern Los Angeles County. He was married with two children.