1 Dead, 3 Wounded in Gang Shootout at Restaurant

A suspected gang member died and three of his friends were wounded after a shootout Tuesday night in a South El Monte restaurant, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

Seyha Tauch, 19, of Pomona died early Wednesday at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center after an argument between between rival gangs erupted in gunfire at the Cafe Thuy Au, police said.

Three of Tauch’s friends, all teen-age boys whose name were withheld, were wounded. Two boys remain hospitalized while the third was treated and released into police custody. A 15-year-old girl, who was with Tauch’s group, was not harmed.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Irma Becerra said that although Tauch and his friends were the victims in this crime, police suspect that they committed an armed robbery at a liquor store earlier in the evening.

“The group was seen leaving the store in a stolen van,” Becerra said.

A semiautomatic handgun believed to have been used in the robbery was recovered at the scene.

The young man who was treated and released from the hospital and the 15-year-old girl were taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Norwalk.

Members of the rival group escaped.