The $1.79 Orange Juice Murder of Latasha Harlins

Latasha’s killer was sentenced to probation, a move that helped spark the 1992 LA Riots

Two weeks after officers with the LAPD furiously beat Rodney King after a traffic stop, a 15-year-old girl named Latasha Harlins lost her life when a convenience store owner named Soon Ja Du shot her dead after an argument over a $1.79 bottle of orange juice. Like the officers involved in the beating of King, Jo Du did not serve any prison time for Latasha’s murder. These two events detonated the high racial tensions already present in Los Angeles, leading to the LA Riots that erupted the following year. This is the story of Latasha Harlins.

Latasha Wants a Drink

On March 16, 1991, Latasha Harlins walked from her home in South Central Los Angeles to Du’s Empire Liquor Market, a convenience store owned by Soon Ja Du and her husband. Harlins visited the store regularly and most employees knew her well. Ja Du usually did not tend to the customers and did not know Latasha.

Latasha grabbed an orange juice from the cooler and placed it in her backpack as she looked at a few other items while walking to the counter to pay for her drink. Latasha grabbed the two one-dollar bills from her pocket to pay for the juice.