Police investigation stalls in death of Korean-American teen, leaving family concerned

The cremation of Joonhee Han, who was declared brain dead and later passed away after being brutally attacked, took place on August 21.

Han had collapsed on the streets of LA’s Koreatown on July 23, showing symptoms of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was declared brain dead and died on July 25. The victim’s family has claimed that the cause of the hemorrhage was a brutal attack Han suffered in Koreatown a week before his death, but the police investigation has made little progress.

Currently, the police are relying solely on witness testimony and tips, which has stalled the investigation.

On August 21, Han’s father, Chris Han, told the Korea Daily after his son’s cremation, “The police are currently trying to verify my son’s movements, but since they couldn’t identify anything from the CCTV footage, we submitted his cell phone.”

The LAPD is investigating the details of the attack on Joonhee Han that occurred on July 18. Three homicide detectives from the LAPD’s West Bureau are tracking Han’s movements before and after the attack, but have yet to secure any definitive evidence, such as CCTV footage.

Tony Im, an LAPD spokesperson, stated, “The case is currently classified as an ‘Undetermined Death,’ and whether it will be reclassified as a homicide depends on the results of the autopsy report.”

Han’s father noted that “The LA County Coroner’s Office indicated in the initial autopsy that the cause of brain damage was due to the assault,” and added, “The Coroner’s Office is considering the possibility that my son’s death was a homicide.”

The handling of Joonhee Han’s case by the hospital to which he was taken after the attack is also under scrutiny.

Han’s father explained, “Around 2:30 a.m. on July 23, my son, who could no longer breathe on his own, was rushed to the Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room. Instead of putting him on a ventilator, the hospital sedated him.” He added, “It took the hospital 12 hours to conduct tests and get the results.”

According to the family, the Good Samaritan Hospital stated that surgery was necessary based on the test results but decided to transfer him to another hospital due to the unavailability of a surgeon.

Han’s father said, “They transferred my son to PIH Health Hospital in Whittier, and I still question why they sent him there, rather than to a larger hospital nearby in such a critical situation.”

The family noted that they were informed of the need for surgery by Good Samaritan Hospital at 2:30 p.m., but it wasn’t until after 5:30 p.m. that Han was admitted to the ICU at PIH Health Hospital in Whittier. Han’s father believes that his son’s chances of survival would have been higher if the surgery had been performed more promptly.

Law Enforcement Today reported on August 21 that mainstream media coverage of the case has been lukewarm, possibly due to both the suspect and the victim being people of color. The outlet suggested that had the races of the Black suspect and the Korean victim been different, the case might have received broader coverage.

Meanwhile, Joonhee Han became an organ donor after being declared brain dead.

BY KYEONGJUN KIM, YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]