Traffic Stop Nets Arrest of Suspect in Man’s Death

A 22-year-old man riding in a car that was routinely stopped by Garden Grove police Saturday night was arrested on a warrant in the murder and attempted robbery of a doughnut shop owner last August, police said Sunday.

Police said Ronald Steven Rodriguez is the second person arrested by police in connection with the shooting death of Chhing Sou Yong, 33, of Gardena, who owned Winkles Donuts in Garden Grove.

Jail records, however, show that a third person arrested in the course of the investigation is in Orange County Jail on murder and attempted robbery charges.

Rodriguez was a passenger in a car that was stopped Saturday night because a can was “chucked” out of it as it drove past a bowling alley, police Sgt. Larry Fischbeck said.

Identification Checks

Officer Paul Hartman ran identification checks on the driver and passenger, turning up the warrant against Rodriguez, Fischbeck said.

On Jan. 17, police arrested Lloyd Raynor Green, 23, and Stella Silva Reyes, 27, at their home in Corona on charges of murder and attempted robbery in connection with the Yong shooting.

The doughnut shop owner was shot Aug. 15 after he resisted two masked people, believed to be male, who demanded money. One was armed with a gun and the other had a tire iron.

The assailants fled, and a shop employee telephoned police from a neighboring supermarket. The victim died of a single gunshot wound in the abdomen shortly after being transported to a hospital.

Cambodian Immigrant

The victim came to the United States from Cambodia in 1980 and lived with his father and six siblings in Santa Ana.

About a month after the shooting, Garden Grove police said they received an anonymous tip that Green was one of the two hooded individuals. They launched an investigation that included surveillance of Green’s residence.

When they arrived at Green’s house last month, Reyes answered the door and allowed officers to enter after they produced a search warrant, police reported last month. They discovered Green hiding in the attic, they said. Police have said they believe Reyes drove the getaway vehicle and was an accomplice.

Rodriguez is being held at Orange County Jail on $275,000 bail. Green and Reyes also remain there, held on $250,000 bail each, jail records clerks said.

The driver in the car with Rodriguez on Saturday night was not held, Fischbeck said.