Security guard kills man at Samoan festival in Carson after gang fight
August 8, 2008
Carson officials shut down the annual Samoan Flag Day celebration for one day -- and called a halt to any nighttime activities for the duration of the weeklong festival -- because of security concerns after a security guard shot and killed a fleeing gunman Wednesday night.
The fatal shooting took place after a gunfight broke out between rival Pacific Islander gangs at the crowded family-oriented festival.
"We felt the security issue overrode the need to have the festival continuing today," said Carson Mayor Jim Dear.
However, Samoans were still continuing their festivities at the park this afternoon, with vendors cooking food and musicians performing.
After meeting for more than an hour, sheriff's and city officials decided to allow a cricket tournament involving teams from as far away as Samoa and Hawaii to continue. However, officials said, the games will proceed Friday and Saturday with no audience.
In addition, Dear said, 192nd Street would be closed to traffic from Main Street on the western edge of Victoria Park to Towne Avenue on the eastern edge "to eliminate the possibility of drive by shootings."
Dear said that after conferring with Carson Sheriff's Captain Todd Rogers and Samoan Chief Tua'au Pele Faletogo, who chairs the city's planning commission, the decision was made to resume the festival Friday and Saturday.
"There will be a very heavy police presence," Rogers said. "Very heavy."
Faletogo's 46-year-old wife was one of three bystanders shot and wounded in the gunfight. Two boys, 12 and 13, were also hurt. They were taken to a local hospital, Carrillo said, with non life-threatening injuries and are expected to make full recoveries. Carrillo said all three were bystanders who had no involvement in the fight.
Officials said the trouble started about 10 p.m. when two women began fighting over a man. What began as a verbal confrontation escalated into a fistfight that included a Tongan man and a Samoan man, they said.
The Tongan eventually pulled out a firearm and fired into the crowd.
At one point, at least two people were shooting, said Los Angeles Sheriff's Lt. Gil Carrillo said.
Witnesses told investigators that one of the shooters fired into the crowd as he ran toward the park gate, Carrillo said. At some point, the man apparently spotted a uniformed security guard.
"He was looking back over his shoulder shooting and noticed the armed security," Carrillo said. At that point, the man allegedly began firing at the security guard, he said.
The guard returned fire, striking the man, who then collapsed just outside the park gate, Carrillo said. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The man's name had not been released this morning, and Carrillo would not say how many times he had been shot.
Coroner's officials said the dead man was in his 20s and was identified by investigators as Samoan.
The security guard, who was legally authorized to carry a weapon, was not injured, Carrillo said.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the guard worked for a private security company and was not a sworn law enforcement officer.
Sheriff's detectives are investigating the death as a homicide. Carrillo, however, said witnesses saw the man shoot at the guard and a handgun recovered at the scene is believed to have been used by the assailant and showed evidence of having been fired.
Shortly after the fatal shooting, someone fired a gun into the crowd from a car heading west on 192nd Street, which borders the park. Carrillo said no one was injured and they did not have a suspect or vehicle description to release.
Deputies interviewed witnesses and locked down the park just north of the 405 Freeway in the shadow of Goodyear blimp's landing zone. No arrests had been made this morning.
Carrillo declined to specify the gangs involved in the dispute.
The park remained closed today as detectives continued their investigation, a sheriff's spokesman said.
A cricket match had been scheduled to begin today at 9 a.m. between the hometown Victoria Boyz and a team from Utah. The winner of today's game was scheduled to play a championship match against a team from Hawaii on Friday.
The cricket showdown was expected to draw thousands of spectators, boosting festival attendance. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people had attended the festival nightly since it started Saturday, authorities said, and it was not scheduled to close until this Saturday.
Rogers said the semifinal and final cricket matches will be played Friday with no audience.
Outside the park today, a vendor selling Polynesian food said she typically does the bulk of her business at the end of the weeklong festival.
Steven Duron, agency operations manager for Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, acknowledged before the closed-door meeting that the fate of the festival, in particular the cricket tournament, had many people nervous.
"The teams are anxious," he said of the cricket players, many of whom traveled great distance to participate. "Many members were here last night and realize it is an extraordinary situation."
Among those waiting for news in the shade of the park's pine trees this morning was festival volunteer Luna Faivae, 39.
Faivae lamented the cricket players' plight.
"It was hard for them to come all the way out here," Faivae said. "A lot of money was spent on travel."
Faivae said she was at the festival Wednesday night when shooting started nearby. She immediately searched out her four children.
"My youngest, a girl, 11, was crying," Faivae said. "She was scared. I said 'It's OK. Everything's OK.' "
Victoria Boyz shortstop John Fua, 51, sat in the park with about a dozen teammates, cradling his cricket bat. They had their orange jerseys on, but were not sure if they would be able to play.
"We're supposed to play Utah today for the playoffs," he said. "We can beat them. We'd like to continue the games, but that's not our decision."
Samoan Flag Day commemorates the rising of the U.S. flag in American Samoa in 1900.
Wednesday night's deadly shooting was not the first during the festival. Four years ago, another gang-related shooting at the annual celebration left a man dead, Carrillo said.
Tasene Tauanuu, 24, of Bellflower died after he was shot multiple times in the upper body by four armed men who approached and argued with him at the festival, the Daily Breeze reported at the time.
Los Angeles County is home to about 30,000 Pacific Islanders, according to a 2006 U.S. Census estimate, including a large enclave of Samoans in Carson.
(I hope they didnt count filipinos as a part of the 30,000)
