A California store worker died after three suspects intentionally ran him over multiple times, allegedly over $10 worth of stolen face masks. The incident, which occurred Wednesday, marks the second tragedy for the Yaghoubi family in four years.
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Kourosh "Steve" Yaghoubi confronted a man suspected of stealing from his family's Giant Discount Store in South El Monte. The ordeal ended with Yaghoubi's death in the store's parking lot.
A Fatal Confrontation
The unidentified suspect entered the store just after 12 p.m., asking Yaghoubi about a box of masks, ABC Los Angeles reports. He left without paying. Yaghoubi and his brother, Jamshid "Jim" Yaghoubi, followed him outside to Durfee Avenue Drive. A fight erupted in the parking lot, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says.
Two more individuals emerged from a dark-colored sedan parked nearby. "Doors open, two other guys exit the car, and one punches my brother in the head," Jim Yaghoubi told ABC. "He holds his head and goes down." The three suspects then fled back to the vehicle, running over the worker multiple times as they sped off.
First responders found Yaghoubi with severe blunt force trauma. Police declared him dead at the scene. Video from Fox 11 Los Angeles shows two relatives restrained by a sheriff's deputy as they tried to reach him.
A Family's Repeated Grief
Steve Yaghoubi's death echoes a prior loss. On May 31, 2021, his brother Rahmatolah "Davey" Yaghoubi died after an unprovoked beating outside his Anaheim home. David Steven Abbott, a suspected White supremacist recently released from jail, attacked Davey while he gardened, Fox 11 reports. Abbott faces murder charges in that case.
"This is my second brother who died," Jim Yaghoubi said. The family, originally from Iran, immigrated to the U.S. over 45 years ago, led by John Yaghoubi, who brought his six brothers and one sister to the country.
Steve was known as a kind community figure. "If somebody asked for something, he'd give it to them, but he didn't like people stealing," John Yaghoubi said.
Jim now dreads telling their mother about Steve's death. "I'm afraid to tell her," he said. "Her eyes were puffy from crying for the first one."
Police have not identified suspects in Steve's killing.
