Francois and Shally Ung began gathering donations at their doughnut store final weekend for survivors of the Monterey Park dance studio shootings, almost a 12 months after 11 individuals had been gunned down at a Lunar New Yr’s Eve celebration.
After which on Tuesday, Francois Ung says, somebody broke into his automotive and stole the cash. Alongside together with his laptop computer.
The Ungs had been elevating the cash for victims’ households and different survivors within the title of Shally’s longtime dance associate, Andy Kao, who was killed within the Jan. 21, 2023, bloodbath on the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. Shally witnessed the taking pictures.
Round 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Francois Ung stated, he arrived at his enterprise, Arcadia Donut, a bit delayed. He’d been inside for just some minutes when he seemed up and noticed on his safety digicam somebody dashing away from the store’s car parking zone.
“I used to be doing my preparation for the day, I have a look at my digicam and I see somebody working. I stated, ‘Why is he working?’ I didn’t perceive,” Ung stated.
When he ducked exterior, Ung noticed that his driver’s facet window was smashed and the trunk of his automotive was open. As a result of he’d been late, he stated, he’d forgotten to take his laptop computer and the cash they’d raised into the store. Each had been gone.
He received into his automotive and drove round to search for the thief within the darkened neighborhood, however police advised him to return to his enterprise so they may take a report. Lt. Tony Juarez with the Monterey Park Police Division stated the incident is beneath investigation.
Ung believes the thief was watching him from the opposite facet of the plaza car parking zone when he set to work. He shared a clip of the safety footage on his Instagram that exhibits a masked man smash the automotive window, pop open the trunk and run away in lower than a minute.
Shally Ung was reluctant to hunt assist dealing with the trauma of the taking pictures, however she’s now talking to a therapist at MPK Hope Resiliency Middle about it. After the theft, a member of the middle got here by to examine on her.
On Wednesday morning she stood earlier than {a partially} empty donation jar with a photograph of Kao’s face atop the lid.
“He was an excellent man,” she stated. “Andy was at all times a pleasant man.”
The Ungs have began a GoFundMe marketing campaign to recoup the stolen cash and pay for the harm to their automotive.
