Man Slain as He Chased Robbers Had Often Tried to Avoid Risks : Crime: Masahiko Kimura, who died outside the real estate agency he co-owned, was a private person who sometimes carried a gun for security. He was killed pursuing three intruders who had thought the office held cash locked in a safe.

Masahiko Kimura, co-owner of a 30-person real estate office, knew the risks in his business.

The 55-year-old longtime real estate agent always carried a gun for solitary late-night appointments. The handgun gave him security during nights spent past midnight working alone in his office in a neighborhood thick with gang graffiti in the unincorporated area of South San Gabriel, said his business partner.

But on Wednesday evening when Kimura died, he was not alone and he was not armed.

Along with eight co-workers, Kimura was the victim of a robbery by three men who mistakenly thought the real estate office held cash locked in a safe.

When the frustrated robbers instead took the watches, wallets and car keys of his co-workers, an unarmed Kimura gave chase, trying to stop them.

The fleeing robbers shot Kimura in the chest, leaving him bleeding on the asphalt pavement outside the real estate office.

“His big mistake was he went after the people,” said Takuo Endo, 69, of Montebello, Kimura’s business partner. “I guess we’re still in a state of shock.”

The robbery occurred shortly before 8 p.m. at the Century 21 office at 1320 S. San Gabriel Blvd., Endo said.

Kimura, Endo and six other employees were participating in a training session when three robbers entered, Endo said. One robber is believed to have kept a gun trained on Kimura, keeping him silent, while a second intruder crept down the hall and grabbed Endo from behind, the realtor said.

Endo said he was surprised when the robber grabbed him around the neck, jerked on his tie and whispered, “Come with me.”

Outraged, Endo began punching the man, mistaking him for a vagrant who had trespassed. Endo said he did not even feel a bullet that pierced his right buttock.

“They said, ‘Where’s your safe?’ ” Endo said. “They’re dumb. All our transactions are with checks.”

The robbers herded the wounded Endo and two others into one bathroom and five other real estate agents into a second bathroom.

Sheriff’s deputies said Kimura was killed when he ran after the three robbers and they shot him during their escape. The robbers drove off in a brown, four-door Chevrolet or Buick with a white Landau top.

No arrests had been made as of late Thursday.

Kimura’s death was particularly shocking because he was a man not known for flamboyance or heroic gestures, Endo said.

“Deep in his heart, he was still Japanese, more reserved,” Endo said.

Kimura was born in Tottori prefecture, Japan, an area known for its sand dunes. He came to the United States as a 17-year-old and went on to work nearly all his life in real estate, Endo said.

Kimura went by the name “Mark” in his real estate dealings, but he remained steadfastly Japanese, priding himself on his Japanese cooking.

“He was pretty much a private person,” Endo said, adding that Kimura kept closed-mouthed eight years ago as he prepared to marry his wife, Betty. The marriage, Endo said, was a surprise to everyone in the office.

Kimura spent long hours at the office, enabling it to expand from the original six agents to 30. Kimura’s wife, a former escrow agent, often worked alongside her husband, Endo said.