Tweet
Westminster woman beaten outside The Crosby dies from injuries
A young writer who graduated last year from Chapman University was being kept on life support Monday, two days after she was beaten unconscious on the sidewalk outside a crowded Santa Ana nightspot.
Kim (Annie) Pham, 23, was being kept alive “because her wishes had always been to help others by being an organ donor,” her family said in a short statement. “We are still fighting for Kim. Stay strong.”
Police arrested one woman in connection with the weekend assault, and were searching for two other women and two men who they believe kicked and punched Pham in the head and body. They declined to identify the suspect, except to say she was in her 20s, from Santa Ana and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Pham had been standing in line with friends early Saturday outside of The Crosby, a restaurant and bar that has become an anchor of Santa Ana's growing downtown night scene. Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department said some kind of argument broke out in the line – he didn't know over what – and it escalated until Pham was beaten unconscious.
Pham graduated from Chapman University last year with a degree in psychology, according to her aunt, Nga Doan. In an online profile, Pham said she worked in her spare time to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer.
She was also a writer, with an essay – titled “Men Don't Talk About Their Feelings” – published in a 2011 anthology, “Pho for Life: A Melting Pot of Thoughts.”
The story was about her family and “the warmth of love,” she said in an interview for the book's release.
“When you start to really recognize everybody around you and that the world is bigger than you, you start to see that there's a lot of room for love in your life,” she said. “Just letting your walls down helps you see that.”
It was a somber gathering Monday evening in downtown Santa Ana as more than 100 of Pham's family and friends lit candles and placed flowers at a memorial.
There was no protesting, no outward display of anger – just a silent, tearful crowd who showed up to honor Pham, who was described as a “lovable person.”
Most of the people who gathered for the vigil declined to comment.
The Crosby was closed.
Police were reviewing surveillance videos from businesses in the area that captured the assault on Pham, as well as several cellphone videos, Bertagna said. Witnesses have also volunteered to come in and talk to detectives, he said.
One video clip posted online appears to show people wrestling and kicking a figure on the ground as a small crowd watches and one person crouches to get a cellphone video. A security guard wades into the melee, apparently in an attempt to intervene.
A man who posted that video, but asked not to be named, said Pham was a friend. He said she seemed fine when he saw her outside of The Crosby about 30 minutes before the attack. He was inside the club when the assault happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
A young writer who graduated last year from Chapman University was being kept on life support Monday, two days after she was beaten unconscious on the sidewalk outside a crowded Santa Ana nightspot.
Kim (Annie) Pham, 23, was being kept alive “because her wishes had always been to help others by being an organ donor,” her family said in a short statement. “We are still fighting for Kim. Stay strong.”
Police arrested one woman in connection with the weekend assault, and were searching for two other women and two men who they believe kicked and punched Pham in the head and body. They declined to identify the suspect, except to say she was in her 20s, from Santa Ana and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Pham had been standing in line with friends early Saturday outside of The Crosby, a restaurant and bar that has become an anchor of Santa Ana's growing downtown night scene. Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department said some kind of argument broke out in the line – he didn't know over what – and it escalated until Pham was beaten unconscious.
Pham graduated from Chapman University last year with a degree in psychology, according to her aunt, Nga Doan. In an online profile, Pham said she worked in her spare time to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer.
She was also a writer, with an essay – titled “Men Don't Talk About Their Feelings” – published in a 2011 anthology, “Pho for Life: A Melting Pot of Thoughts.”
The story was about her family and “the warmth of love,” she said in an interview for the book's release.
“When you start to really recognize everybody around you and that the world is bigger than you, you start to see that there's a lot of room for love in your life,” she said. “Just letting your walls down helps you see that.”
It was a somber gathering Monday evening in downtown Santa Ana as more than 100 of Pham's family and friends lit candles and placed flowers at a memorial.
There was no protesting, no outward display of anger – just a silent, tearful crowd who showed up to honor Pham, who was described as a “lovable person.”
Most of the people who gathered for the vigil declined to comment.
The Crosby was closed.
Police were reviewing surveillance videos from businesses in the area that captured the assault on Pham, as well as several cellphone videos, Bertagna said. Witnesses have also volunteered to come in and talk to detectives, he said.
One video clip posted online appears to show people wrestling and kicking a figure on the ground as a small crowd watches and one person crouches to get a cellphone video. A security guard wades into the melee, apparently in an attempt to intervene.
A man who posted that video, but asked not to be named, said Pham was a friend. He said she seemed fine when he saw her outside of The Crosby about 30 minutes before the attack. He was inside the club when the assault happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
