$20,000 reward offered for finding the Marine attackers

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is offering $20,000 for information that could lead to the arrest of those who attacked and killed an active-duty Marine earlier this year.

On Wednesday, July 24, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department announced that it is asking the public’s help in locating the individuals who attacked 42-year-old Marine Peter Chounthala while he was in Los Angeles County. On May 28, at approximately 2 a.m., Chounthala was struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident in Bellflower in southeast Los Angeles County. The LASD and Los Angeles Fire Department responded and found him in the street with serious injuries to his chest. The LAFD rendered treatment, but Chounthala was pronounced dead at the scene.

LASD members’ investigation revealed that prior to the hit-and-run accident, he had been attacked by at least two men before he was struck by the car. They attacked him and severely beat him before disappearing toward a nearby parking lot.

“Investigators believe Mr. Chounthala was an innocent victim of this senseless act of violence,” said Lt. Patricia Thomas of the LASD Homicide Division, who led the press conference, on Wednesday.

Chounthala, still on the ground, was then struck by the car, which was last seen heading east on Artesia Boulevard in Bellflower.

After a two-month investigation with no arrests, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department offered a reward for more information that could lead to the arrest of those who struck and killed Chounthala. At the press conference, the department provided few details about the incident. The LASD said the car that struck Chounthala was a dark-colored 4-door Kia K5, likely a 2021 to 2023 model. It is not clear if the driver of the car was one of the attackers, and the LASD gave limited information at its press conference.

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Chounthala joined the Marine Corps in 2008 and served several tours in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was assigned to the Wounded Warriors Battalion, based at Camp Pendleton. According to Chounthala’s sister, Witpha Chounthala, he was scheduled to retire from the military at the end of this year. Chounthala leaves behind a wife and three-year-old son. His wife, Jurina Chounthala, is an active member of the Air Force. At Wednesday’s press conference, she urged anyone with information about the attack to come forward so “hopefully we can find some closure.”

“He meant everything to me, to my family, to our friends and family. He is like the glue that held us all together,” she said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 222-8477.

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