Possible Car Used by Killers Recovered

Authorities recovered a stolen BMW Wednesday that they believe was the getaway car used by gang members after the fatal shooting of a San Gabriel waitress, but said their investigation has been stalled by a lack of cooperation from witnesses.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Peavy said investigators are up against a culture of silence within the Asian community, where crime victims and witnesses rarely report gang activity for fear of retaliation. The owner of Quing Palace Cafe has declined to answer questions until he has hired an attorney, Peavy said.

“They’re less likely to open up and talk to us because they’re afraid,” Peavy said. “It’s very difficult to communicate and get information from witnesses.”

Peavy did not say how many people he has attempted to interview about the Monday night shooting at a commercial plaza in the 1000 block of Valley Boulevard. A 38-year-old waitress, who recently arrived from China, was killed as she stood at a server station. The woman, whose identity is being withheld until her parents in China are notified, was the only victim.

Two cars pulled alongside the restaurant about 10 p.m. Surveillance cameras captured the images of several masked gunmen, who got out of a BMW and fired 25 shots into the business. The barrage sent four customers diving to the floor as glass shattered around them.

Peavy initially said the crime may have been motivated by extortion, but he backed off this suspicion Wednesday, saying it could have been instigated for a variety of reasons, including retaliation.

“Anything is a possibility,” said Peavy, adding that no suspects have been identified. The stolen car, a recent 5 Series, white BMW, was found in a Monterey Park tow yard, but it has not yet been linked to an owner.

Solving crimes in the San Gabriel Valley’s Asian community poses a challenge to law enforcement agencies because of language and cultural barriers, law enforcement officials said.

“Our biggest obstacle was breaking the cultural gap and getting people to report crimes,” said Capt. Thomas “Mike” O’Brien, who headed the now-disbanded sheriff’s Asian gang task force during its inaugural year in 1999. Budget cuts forced the closure of the program earlier this year.

“I’m still mystified that people allow themselves to be extorted by Asian gangs because law enforcement can’t guard their businesses 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” O’Brien said. “They will pay these thugs who charge three, four, five hundred dollars a month to leave their businesses alone.”

San Gabriel Councilman Chi Mui said Monday’s shooting marked the second homicide in the city this year. He said extortion was a more immediate problem, but that attempts to develop a business crime watch have generated little interest.

“I urge all merchants to change their habits and come forward,” Mui said. “It’s going to take courage.”