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Thursday, May 8, 2025

Car chase during holiday weekend causes chaos in Little Tokyo

Customers at a nearby business are evacuated after suspects fled into a shopping mall in Little Tokyo following a car chase with police on July 1. [ABC Broadcasting Captures]
Suspects involved in a car chase with the police in Little Tokyo caused chaos in the area when they fled into a crowded shopping mall on July 1, the first day of the holiday weekend.

The chase began around 5:30 p.m. on Gardena, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Officers spotted a white Mercedes sedan involved in a felony and ordered it to stop.

However, the suspects ignored the order and started fleeing. The suspect vehicle sped away along the 110 Freeway and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of 1st Street and Central Avenue.

The suspects then abandoned the vehicle and fled into the nearby mall, Japanese Village Plaza. Witnesses reported that at least two suspects got out of the car and ran into the mall. The mall was crowded with holiday shoppers, causing chaos as residents tried to flee.

Police cordoned off the area and began chasing the suspects, managing to arrest one of them. Chris Sandoval, a barista at Cafe Dulce in Japanese Village Plaza, said, “There was a rush of people taking refuge inside the store, and we hid for 15 minutes before the officers came in and confirmed that the situation was over.”

BY YEJIN KIM    [support@koreadaily.com]

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The Korea Daily Digital Team
The Korea Daily Digital Team
The Korea Daily Digital Team operates the largest Korean-language news platform in the United States, with a core staff of 10 digital journalists and a network of contributing authors based in both Korea and the U.S. The team delivers breaking news, in-depth reporting, and community-focused coverage for readers nationwide.