Suspect Sought After Stabbing Death Outside Family's Donut Shop
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A killer is on the loose after a Tuesday night robbery turned deadly at a South LA donut shop.
The incident happened around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday at the family-owned store in the 300 block of West Florence Avenue, near Broadway and the 110 Freeway, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
According to detectives, the suspect entered the store, ordered food and robbed the clerk, Yupin Ung, when she opened the cash register. Her half brother Andy Ung, 29, chased the suspect out of the store where he was stabbed in an alley.
On Wednesday, CBS2's Adrianna Weingold visited the neighborhood, where family and friends remembered Andy Ung, and wondered about the area's safety. She said many people have brought candles, and prayed for the Ung family.
Yupin Ung said her half brother did not work at the shop, but drove her home every day for the past six years. A man came in the shop about 9 p.m. Tuesday, she said, pushed her and grabbed cash from the register.
" I'm scared, and I yell like, 'Aahhhh,' and Andy and Mom they come out, he come out, Yupin Ung said.
That's when Andy Ung ran after the man and chased him into the alley, but the suspect stabbed him. Andy Ung died at the hospital.
"He was a good dude," said his friend, Ronnie Barrows, who had know Andy Ung since they were kids, and said he was well-liked and never caused any trouble.
"If you didn't have something and he had it, he'd give it to you man," said Barrows.
The news of Andy Ung's death spread fast, with shop owners choosing to stay closed today, many fearing for their own safety.
Carlos Alvarado, a security guard for one of the shops, said instead of opening up, employees posted signs stating that "due to excessive crime in this area, we will be closed until further notice."
"All I have here with me is pepper spray, so I'm not too sure if I should be here either, myself," Alvarado said.
Yupin and the rest of the Ung family said their shop will stay closed as they grieve the loss of their beloved Andy.
Detectives describe the suspect, who fled on foot, as a black man in his 30s, wearing a beanie and dark hooded sweatshirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD's South Bureau Homicide Division at (213) 485-1383.