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23-Year-Old Woman Dies After Brutal Beating Outside A Nightclub
A woman died after being brutally beaten by a group of five people outside of a nightclub in Santa Ana over the weekend.
The 23-year-old victim was waiting in line with her friends early Saturday morning around 12:30 a.m. to get into the Crosby, a popular nightclub in the area, reported KABC. An argument broke out with another group of people and it escalated into a fight.
"There's a group of five individuals that are only described as three females, two males, all Hispanic between 20 and 25 years of age," Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told KABC. "Two or three of the female suspects knocked her to the ground, were physically assaulting her and kicking her, and they fled the scene."
CBS Los Angeles reported that a bouncer at the Crosby tried to stop the fight, but was unable to. When police arrived at the scene, the victim was unconscious on the sidewalk and then rushed to a local hospital. She was listed as being in extremely serious condition.
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Family members of the victim told KTLA that she had later died from the injuries she sustained from the beating.
The police are searching for the five suspects and believe witnesses who were waiting in line at the club had taken videos of the incident. If anyone has any information about the incident, please contact Santa Ana Police Department at (714) 245-839.
UPDATE 1/21, 9:00 a.m.: Santa Ana business owners near the Crosby nightclub have banded together and are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the remaining four suspects, according to NBC Los Angeles. One female suspect was taken into custody on Monday.
More details have been emerging about the victim, Kim Pham. The O.C. Register reported that Pham had graduated from Chapman last year with a degree in psychology, and in her free time raised money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
A makeshift memorial has been made outside of the club where the beating occured. One of Pham's friends, Larry Trinh visited the memorial site. "It's a depressing sight," Trinh told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm really going to miss talking to her. She could always make me laugh."
UPDATE 1/20, 4:20 p.m.: Police have arrested a female suspect for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and causing great bodily harm, reported the Los Angeles Times. Authorities have not released the suspect's name, but she is described as being in her 20s.
The victim has now been identified as Kim Pham, according to OC Weekly. Her sister Katie Nguyen posted on Facebook the following message today:
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Our beloved sister, daughter and friend Kim (Annie) Pham passed away on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 12:36 PM. Kim is currently on life support because her wishes had always been to help others by being an organ donor. At this time, we ask for privacy to mourn for our loss. Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers and we are still fighting for Kim. Stay strong.
Love,
Kim's family
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