Security Guard Charged with Murder in Killing of Man at Hollywood Walgreens
[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] Walgreens security guard is facing a murder charge for the Dec. 2 shooting of Jonathan Hart in Hollywood, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said on Monday.
Hart, 21, was also known as Sky Young among locals in the Hollywood area. He was shot in an alleged shoplifting dispute by security guard Donald Vincent Ciota, at the Walgreens pharmacy at Sunset and Vine. The incident sparked anger among anti-police brutality activists and Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles.
Activists "occupied" the store earlier this month and called for a boycott of the pharmacy chain.
#BlackLivesMatter took over the #Walgreens on #SunsetAndVine in Hollywood where a security guard killed #SkyYoung #BoycottWalgreens #MassRallyForJustice #MassJusticeRally #BlackXMas @BLMLA @WP4BL @DocMellyMel pic.twitter.com/HHgR276b6o
— PMbeers (@PMbeers) December 24, 2018
Hart was described as gay and homeless by friends and associates. Witnesses said he had previously argued with the Ciota at the Walgreens before the argument and shooting. The county coroner's office said he was shot in the back of the neck.
"Bottom line is he was shot from behind, unarmed, leaving the store," Jasmyne Cannick, a local commentator, said on Monday after the D.A.'s announcement. "There's nothing at Walgreens worth anyone's life, I can tell you that."
Ciota was scheduled to be arraigned today. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 50 years behind bars.
RELATED: Major Shift on Police: Cops Will Have to Release Body Camera Footage and Records on Bad Behavior
Read More:
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from L.A. TACO
Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA
Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!
This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living
Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform.
Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer
Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid.
‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios
In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.
Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.
Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.
