The $1.79 Orange Juice Murder of Latasha Harlins

Two weeks after officers with the LAPD furiously beat Rodney King after a traffic stop, a 15-year-old girl named Latasha Harlins lost her life when a convenience store owner named Soon Ja Du shot her dead after an argument over a $1.79 bottle of orange juice. Like the officers involved in the beating of King, Jo Du did not serve any prison time for Latasha’s murder. These two events detonated the high racial tensions already present in Los Angeles, leading to the LA Riots that erupted the following year. This is the story of Latasha Harlins.

Latasha Wants a Drink

On March 16, 1991, Latasha Harlins walked from her home in South Central Los Angeles to Du’s Empire Liquor Market, a convenience store owned by Soon Ja Du and her husband. Harlins visited the store regularly and most employees knew her well. Ja Du did not tend to the customers and did not know Latasha.

Latasha grabbed an orange juice from the cooler and placed it in her backpack as she looked at a few other items while walking to the counter to pay for her drink. Latasha grabbed the two one-dollar bills from her pocket to pay for the juice.

Latasha Accused of Trying to Steal Orange Juice

Once Latasha approached the counter, Ja Du began to accuse Latasha of trying to steal the juice and calling her a bitch, information confirmed by witnesses in the store and surveillance footage. Ja Du then grabbed her by the shirt pulling her toward the counter. Harlins attempted to get loose but could not, so she punched Jo Du, knocking her backward and freeing herself. Ja Du then threw a stool at Latasha who, by this time, had turned to walk out of the store.

The orange juice fell from the countertop where Harlins had set the bottle, shattering on the floor.

Ja Du Shoots Latasha

Latasha had taken no more than a few steps away from the counter when Ja Du picked up a .38 caliber revolver and fired, shooting Latasha in the back of the head at a distance of 3-ft. away. She died instantly.

Ja Du’s husband sat outside in the couple’s van when he heard the shots. He ran inside and witnessed Latasha dead on the floor. His wife told him that she tried to rob her. He called 9-1-1.

Surveillance footage captured of the tragic shooting:

Ja Du Arrested

Police arrested Ja Du. She told them she feared for her life when Latasha approached the counter and assumed she was going to take the juice without paying. A lot of thefts had occurred at the market over the years, she said. Ja Du admitted that she had altered the gun’s trigger so that it fired with little force.

A year later, angry residents burned down Korean owned businesses as they protested in Latasha’s name in front of Emprir Market after the judge in her manslaughter case overturned the conviction and sentenced Ja Du, her killer, to probation plus 400-hours of community service, suspending the original 10-years imposed in the case. Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of 16-years in prison.

Empire Market was among the stores burnt down that day.

Racial Tensions in L.A.

The racial tensions between Black Americans and Korean American store owners were especially high at this time. Those who lived in the impoverished neighborhood felt the business owners gouged up prices and were rude to them. The store owners also refused to hire anyone who was Black.

At the same time, Operation Hammer was taking place in Los Angeles, an initiative to take in suspected gang members for questioning. From 1980 until 1990, 83 excessive force lawsuits had been filed against the LAPD concerning these suspected criminals. The city paid out more than $15,000 in awards.

The result of the racial tension and injustice for Black Americans in Los Angeles was the LA Riots of April 1992.

Who Was Latasha Harlins?

Born January 1, 1976, in East Saint Louis, Illinois, Latasha was the daughter of Crystal Harlins and Sylvester Acoff Sr. She had a younger brother, Vester Jr. and a younger sister, Christina.

The Harlin family relocated to South Central Los Angeles in 1981 when she was 6-years-old. Her father worked at a steel foundry, her mother at a local tavern. Vester was abusive to his wife and beat her in front of the kids. They divorced in 1983.

Things turned tragic for the Harlins family soon thereafter.

Crystal Harlins Murdered by New Girlfriend

Crystal, Latasha’s mother, was shot dead by Vester’s new girlfriend, Cora Mae Anderson, outside a nightclub four years later. Latasha moved in with her grandmother, Ruth.

She wanted to be a lawyer one day and loved basketball. The death of her mother devastated Latasha who began to rebel and act out.

Latasha attended Westchester High School.

She was buried beside her mother at the Paradise Memorial Park in Santa Fe Springs, California.

Never Forget Latasha Harlins

The tragic end to Latasha’s life is memorialized through son lyrics and dedications and documentaries, including “A Love Song for Latasha,” available on Netflix.

Rapper Tupac Shakur mentioned Latasha in many of his songs, including “White Man’z World,” “I Wonder if Heavan’s Got a Ghetto,” and “Hellrazor.”

“Here on Earth, tell me what’s a black life worth / A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts “

“Dear Lord if you hear me tell me why / Little girl like Latasha had to die. She never got to see the bullet, just heard the shot / Her little body couldn’t take it, it shook and dropped / And when I saw it on the news how she bucked a girl, killed Latasha / Now I’m screamin’ f— the world, in the end”

During an interview before his death, Tupac said:

“Y’all know how bad it is out there. Y’all watch the news how I watch the news,” he once said. “It’s all these little kids dying. The world’s just bugged out. It’s not like how we remember it … I remember a lot of problems, but it wasn’t as bad as it is now for the younger generation. We have to be more compassionate.”

My condolences to the entire Harlins family. Rest easy, Latasha. #NeverForget