The massacre led to the establishment of the San Francisco Police Department's Asian Gang Task Force, credited with ending gang-related violence in Chinatown by 1983.

[3] That shootout resulted in the death of 16-year-old Felix Huey (Chinese: 許非力; sometimes romanized as Huie) and the wounding of Melvin Yu, both members of the Joe Boys.

[4][5][6][7][8] Huey's murder, in turn, was seen as a reprisal for the earlier death of Kin Chuen Louie, a 20-year-old member of the Wah Ching who had been shot a dozen times on May 31 while attempting to escape in his car.

Yu received a phone call at 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, and after a brief, private conversation, ordered the weapons to be put back into the closet.

Around 9:30 p.m., two members of the Joe Boys, Peter Cheung, and Dana Yu were asked to steal a four-door car, which would facilitate entry and exit for a quick getaway; they returned shortly afterward with a blue Dodge Dart and parked it in the home's driveway.

[16] At 2:00 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday, September 4, 1977, Tom Yu received a phone call from Carlos Jon that members of the rival Wah Ching gang, including Michael "Hot Dog" Louie, one of its leaders, were present at the Golden Dragon restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown (Chinese: 三藩市華埠金龍大酒樓).

[16] Forty minutes later, at 2:40 a.m., Chester Yu parked the stolen car near the Golden Dragon and stayed in the driver's seat while the others went to the restaurant.

Armed with a .45-caliber Commando Mark III rifle (a modern clone of the Thompson submachine gun), two 12 gauge pump-action shotguns, and a .38-caliber revolver,[21] the other three donned nylon stocking masks and entered the restaurant from the second entrance at 818 Washington,[22] looking for members of the Wah Ching.

[24] According to Chester Yu, Ng had instructed Tam to fire a shot in the ceiling first so that "when the people panic and get down on the floor, we will decide who to shoot."

Instead, without warning, the three randomly opened fire on the patrons inside the crowded restaurant, killing five people, including two tourists, and wounding 11 others, none of whom were gang members.

[25][26] Melvin Yu walked directly up to a man at a table and shot him nine times, continuing to shoot after that victim had fallen to the floor.

[19] James Bonanno, a restaurant patrolman, dove for cover when the gunmen entered; he later testified that he pulled his revolver and radioed for help while hiding.

Richard Hargens (or Harkins)[19] also fell to the floor after hearing shots and though he drew his revolver, he stated other people were in his line of fire and he was unable to shoot the gunmen.

[16] After their return, the Joe Boys stayed awake until dawn discussing the shooting,[15] then slept for a few hours before awakening to listen to the news of the killing.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) announced they were close to solving the crime soon after the shooting, but Chief Charles Gain criticized the Chinatown community for its silence and "abdication of responsibility" due to "the subculture of fear" of gang reprisals.

[35] SFPD Lieutenant Daniel Murphy, head of the investigation, said, "because so many innocent people were killed and injured, this time we have been getting more cooperation out of the residents and witnesses in Chinatown than we normally do.

"[10] Chinatown residents came forward to provide tips in the days following the shooting, identifying that Wah Ching diners and Joe Boys assailants were present that night.

[46][47] Woo had been arrested in March 1978 for participating in another gang skirmish on February 15 in Portsmouth Square, a shooting that left two Wah Ching members wounded.

The third brother, Chester, admitted to his role as the getaway driver but requested for his proceedings to be held in juvenile court in exchange for his testimony.

Levine tentatively agreed to allow the driver to enter the juvenile court and provided immunity to the two brothers, conditioned upon confirmation that (1) they were only peripherally involved in the crime and (2) their testimony was truthful.

[16] The weapons used in the attack were recovered by police divers from San Francisco Bay on April 20, 1978, after Chester Yu showed them where they had been dumped.

[58] Melvin Yu and Peter Cheung were arrested early on the morning of April 23, 18 miles (29 km) east of Carson City, Nevada.

[51] Attorneys for the defendant made several motions to move the trial venue,[62] sequester the jury, and ban reporters from the courtroom, none of which were granted.

[73] Tom Yu was indicted but moved to dismiss the charges on the basis that he had been granted immunity by Levine; the trial court denied the motion, finding both that he had not satisfied the two imposed conditions, and further, that his proposed testimony was not true.

[16] Yu then entered a conditional guilty plea in 1979 on one count of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and admitted that a firearm was used in the crime.

[16] However, upon reviewing the probation report, which called Tom Yu "the prime mover in the whole thing", the court rejected the plea bargain and restored the original charges.

[72] Yu converted to Christianity approximately ten years after the shooting at the Golden Dragon, and served time at Deuel Vocational Institute, where he took college courses in mathematics.

[80] The Task Force's first credited arrest was for Michael Louie, the reputed 21-year-old leader of the Wah Ching who was one of the targets in the Golden Dragon Massacre.

Afterward, he scattered pieces of the weapon in San Francisco Bay and dumped her body near Stinson Beach, where it was discovered on January 1, 1977, but not identified until November 1977.

[86] Robert Woo, the informant who collected the $100,000 reward, was killed during a shootout with police while robbing a jewelry shop in Los Angeles on December 19, 1984.