Rooftop Koreans

The unrest in urban areas was sparked by the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers in the beating of Rodney King and resulted in rioting, and looting, along with widespread violence and arson throughout the city.

[3] Previous violent incidents including the 1991 killing of Latasha Harlins, an African-American teenager who was fatally and controversially shot by a Korean-American convenience store owner, Soon Ja Du.

[6] Following the Rodney King verdict, Los Angeles police were unable to provide protection to many affected areas due to the overwhelming scale of the riots.

The intersection of 5th Street and Western Avenue served as a flashpoint, where the California Market (also called Gaju or Kaju) Korean grocery store was a major point of conflict.

"[9] Because South Korea had at the time a thirty-month mandatory military service for males, it was noted that many Korean immigrants had experience with handling firearms.