Two 17-year-olds have been charged with murder and robbery in the stabbing death of a vendor in downtown Los Angeles, the District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
The teens are accused in the slaying of Du Young Lee, 56, who was robbed and killed Saturday afternoon near the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Wall Street.
Lee was found unconscious and not breathing by arriving officers, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Officer Matthew Cruz of the Los Angeles Police Department.
An investigation at the scene revealed the victim was involved in a fight with suspects described as a male and a female, according to Cruz.
“The male suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times,” Cruz said.
The two stabbing suspects fled the scene on foot but were eventually taken into custody, Cruz said.
The teens — who remain in custody — are due back in juvenile court Oct. 26, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement announcing the filing of the case, District Attorney George Gascón said, “Mr. Lee was killed in the middle of the day on a busy street in downtown L.A. while simply trying to run his business.”
