Two siblings accused of killing a California man last month are behind bars after they were captured on a TikTok video hurling racial slurs and expletives at Florida tourists.
The confrontation posted on the social media platform has since been taken down. But it led to the arrests in a murder that shook the community of Cerritos.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that the pair in the video, identified as siblings John Chong Moon, 54, and Cindy Kim, 58, were arrested Monday.
They face murder charges in the death of 66-year-old Cuauhtémoc Garcia, known as Témo, who was killed on February 25 while he was taking a walk on the Coyote Creek bike path near Don Knabe Park in broad daylight.
Prosecutors said Garcia had left his car to walk along the bike path when Moon and Kim allegedly tried to steal his car. When Garcia refused to hand over his keys, the siblings allegedly shot him.
After FOX11 reported the story on March 7, an anonymous viewer was able to identify the suspects in an unlikely place – on TikTok.
In the video, tourists from Florida, who posted the video just before the murder, got into a confrontation with the siblings at a Panera Bread restaurant in Cypress after they allegedly hurled racial slurs at them.
The viewer reportedly recognized the pair from the news and alerted authorities about the social media video, which was originally uploaded to TikTok by a user “Leti T.”
Los Angeles County homicide detectives took the tip and were able to identify the siblings, who had been living in a Toyota Prius.
On March 9, the Prius was spotted by police who initiated a pursuit and arrested the pair.
Prosecutors say the TikTok video is what helped them crack the case and make the arrests.
“This was a senseless and brutal act of violence that took the life of a husband, father and businessman who simply wanted to enjoy a peaceful walk,” Hochman said in a statement.
“My sympathies go out to his family as they grieve this unimaginable loss. We will pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law to hold those responsible accountable.”
The video has since been taken down, but “Leti T” uploaded a new one on Thursday stating: “I never wanted to use it as content to begin with (that’s certainly not my theme), but let me tell you how happy I am that because of that video, justice is being served.”
“I’ve been thinking about the Garcia family since I heard from the homicide detective and can’t imagine what they’ve been through,” the user wrote on TikTok. “They didn’t deserve this. He was just going out for a walk in the middle of the day.”
Garcia’s family told FOX11 they are grateful for the viewer who saw the video on social media.
“Thank you so much, you have made such a difference to a family,” Michelle Garcia said. “So, we can bury my husband at least knowing that they have the people in custody. So again, thank you so much.”
Moon and Kim were charged with murder and attempted second-degree robbery.
They were scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, but the hearing was postponed.
