LOS ANGELES : Street Vendor Shot to Death by Youths in Robbery

A vendor taking fresh produce to a Mid-City neighborhood still scarred from last year’s riots was killed Wednesday night by two male youths who fled with $18.

Eduardo Garcia, 32, had parked his produce truck shortly after sundown in the 1700 block of South Highland Avenue and was helping customers when the two boys came up to his truck, drew a handgun and demanded cash, police said.

One customer turned over the cash he had in his pockets and Garcia, saying he had no money, offered his assailants food stamps.

One suspect raised the gun and shot Garcia in the head, said Detective Dan Andrews of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Division.

Residents said that since their neighborhood supermarket was burned down during the riots, they have relied on Garcia, a friendly man who offered credit, accepted food stamps and sold fresh goods at low prices.