on march 16, 1991, a year prior to the los angeles riots, storekeeper soon ja du and black ninth-grader latasha harlins had a physical confrontation. soon ja du grabbed latasha's sweater and backpack when soon suspected latasha had been trying to steal a bottle of orange juice from empire liquor, the store soon's family owned in compton. latasha hit soon in the face four times and knocked soon down. latasha then turned to walk away and soon shot her in the back of the head, killing her. (security tape showed the girl, already dead, was clutching $2 in her hand when investigators arrived.) du was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and forced to pay a fine of $500, but not sentenced to any prison time. relations between the african-american and korean communities significantly worsened after this, and the former became increasingly mistrustful of the criminal justice system. racial tensions had been simmering for years between these groups. many african americans were angry toward a growing korean migrant community in south central los angeles earning a living in their communities, and felt disrespected and humiliated by many korean merchants. cultural differences and a language barrier further fueled tensions. the probation du received for killing latasha harlins, combined with the acquittal of the four lapd officers in rodney king's trial, resulted in the ensuing los angeles riots, with much anger directed at koreans.