Connie Chang, 64

Connie Chang, a 64-year-old Korean woman, was found shot to death about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, inside her restaurant in the 14300 block of South Western Avenue in Gardena.

Gardena police had responded to a call for a welfare check at Chang's restaurant, J.J. Cafe. Chang's friend told police that she was afraid Chang might have injured herself.

Los Angeles County firefighters helped officers gain access into the restaurant, where they discovered Chang lying on the floor. Police said she had been shot several times. In addition, police learned that Chang's 2002 Toyota 4Runner was gone from the parking lot and reported it missing.

Los Angeles police spotted Chang's SUV about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, in East Los Angeles. Officers began pursuing the SUV when they learned it was connected to a homicide investigation. Half an hour after the pursuit began, the driver crashed the SUV near Walnut Grove and Garvey avenues in Rosemead.

The LAPD said the vehicle flipped over and caught fire. The driver shot at officers when they tried to assist him. Authorities said the man refused to leave the burning vehicle. He was later pronounced dead.

Authorities said they did not know whether the driver had died from his injuries in the crash or took his own life. Detectives from the Gardena Police Department were later notified of the pursuit. LAPD and Gardena police detectives will now investigate both incidents together.

The fatal shooting of Chang at her business was the second to have occurred in recent months in the area of Western and Rosecrans avenues in Gardena.

On Monday, May 13, Hae Sook Roh, 51, also Korean, was shot at her T-shirt shop in the 2300 block of West Rosecrans Avenue in Gardena, about two minutes away from Chang's restaurant. The assailant or assailants in that shooting are still at large.

—Ruben Vives / Los Angeles Times

Bookmark it:

August 07, 2008 in Normal

Permalink