Yongja Lee and her husband moved to the United States in 2000. They were about to retire.
On January 30, she was stabbed in the neck with a knife while working at the store, which is on East Broadway.
“It went so deep into her neck that it damaged her spinal cord, so she won’t be able to move her legs and arms. It was a shock to us,” said Ellyn Lee, Yongja’s daughter.
Ellyn says the attack happened in front of her father. She says doctors say there’s a 5-10% chance her mother will regain movement in her body. She is also unable to speak.
“It was really hard for me to come to terms with all of this. At first I was in denial,” Ellyn said.
Ellyn says it’s been over a month since the attack and she’s still waiting for answers. She hopes whoever did this gets caught. She says the man who attacked her mother didn’t steal anything from their store. Suspect just attacked his mother and left.
Long Beach police are looking for a suspect described as a black male, who is approximately 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds. He is bald and has brown eyes. He was last seen in a red Adidas track top.
Eyewitness News has contacted Long Beach police and the department said the investigation is ongoing.
Kevin Voravong has been a loyal customer of Frank’s Liquor store for six years and started a fundraiser to raise money for the Lee family. He says Yongja Lee was like a mother, feeding him and treating him like a son.
“When I came down I saw her on the floor. I just lost her. I just burst into tears. I just started screaming,” Voravong said.
Ellyn says that because her job allows her to work from home, she works at the liquor store next to her father to make sure he is safe.
“I’m scared to leave him alone at the store because of what happened to my mom,” Ellyn said.
Yongja is currently in rehab to learn how to move his body again.
“I just want to raise enough money, just show them that they didn’t come to Long Beach just to make this happen,” Voravong said.
Anyone with information can contact the Long Beach Police Department of Violent Crimes at (562) 570-7250.
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