That day, Latasha Harlins, a fifteen-year-old African-American girl, went into Du's market to purchase a bottle of orange juice. Slipping the bottle into her backpack, Harlins approached Du with the $1.79 that she owed for the drink. However, Du accused Harlins of trying to steal the bottle, and a scuffle broke loose. Du grabbed Harlins backpack, and Harlins retaliated by punching Du in the face twice with her first. As Harlins turned to leave the store, Du reached under the counter for a gun, and fired. Du's husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, who had been outside resting in his van, heard the shot and rushed into the store to dial 911. However, it was too late; Harlins was dead, killed by a bullet that struck her in the back of the head.
Even though the Black Korean Alliance (BKA) and the Human Relations Commission tried to keep the store's security videotape from the press, it soon was released. Within days it became the second-most aired clip on commercial news in Los Angeles, only behind the video of the beating of Rodney King. Tempers flared up on both sides, destroying any chances of peace between Korean and African-Americans in LA. Matters were made worse when Ice Cube, a prominent rapper, released a single entitled "Black Korea" in protest over what had happened to Harlins.
Nevertheless, the true meltdown in race relations occurred after the final sentencing of Soon Ja Du. In October, Du was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, but the judge suspended her sentence, placing her on five-years' probation and ordering her to do 400 hours of community service. By doing so, the judge averred that both sides should use the tragedy as an opportunity to fight "intolerance and bigotry." This verdict, as well as the reasoning behind it, stunned the African-American community--and the rest of the nation--in the same way that the Vincent Chin verdict had in 1982. Consequently, all efforts to keep the peace between the two groups was severely debilitated.
