Chinese American Group Pushes for Dismissal of Felony Charge in Juvenile Case
14-year-old girl was shot at three times
By May Chow
AsianWeek Staff Writer
A shooting that involved police and a 14-year-old Chinese American girl on May 5 in Ventura County has many in the Asian Pacific American community shocked at the excessive force used by authorities and angered by the criminal charges the girl now faces.
Anna Guo was hit by two of the three shots fired by an officer, after she brandished a knife and came after the officer with it, according to police reports. The two bullets pierced through her abdomen, rupturing and damaging her reproductive system.
There’s been an ongoing effort by the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), a national civil rights organization, to dismiss the felony charge Anna Guo faces of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Last Monday, CACA and Guo's lawyer filed a motion asking that District Attorney Michael Bradbury be removed from this trial because of biased statements he had made regarding Guo. The judge agreed to look into the motion and pushed the trial date back to Nov. 14.
“We see this as a small victory,” said Henry Yee, coordinator for CACA. “If Anna is prosecuted, her civil rights will be violated a second time.”
Defense Attorney Steven Sugars said Guo is being overcharged, and added that the prosecution is overlooking the fact that Guo was emotionally disturbed and suicidal and is treating her like a criminal.
Yee first got involved in the case after reading about it online in early October. He said no one had done anything about the case, and he felt that Guo’s rights were being stripped away without her even knowing about it.
Guo and her brother joined their father, Wei Guo in California four years ago. Her father had immigrated to the United States seven years ago, and opened a Chinese restaurant. Wei Guo does not speak a word of English and Anna knows just enough English to get by. But Yee said she did not have a full grasp of the language, something that may have contributed to possible miscommunication with police during the confrontation.
Guo was taken away from her father after her school discovered and reported to childcare services that her father was abusing her. She was having disciplinary problems with her father, in regards to boys and the clothes she wore. Last year, Wei Guo was convicted of inflicting corporal punishment on his daughter.
The Child Protection Program services placed Anna Guo in a foster home in the care of John and Peggy Tsui of Pasadena last year, but she was taken to a group home because she didn’t get along well with the Tsuis. She spent time in Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, a temporary shelter for children, before moving in with her second foster family, Robert and Zaida Worthley.
Yee said that on the day of the shooting, everything was fine.
“It was a Sunday and they had went to church and had a barbeque,” he said. “Then Anna met a boy and was talking with him outside of her house and her foster mom was repeatedly calling her to come into the house.”
Yee said the Worthleys couldn’t handle Guo anymore after numerous disciplinary problems and decided to take her to another group home where she could be given treatment. Angered by this idea, Guo took an 8-inch steak knife from the kitchen drawer and went upstairs to her room.
According to Yee, Guo called her boyfriend and the Tsuis and told them that they would not see her anymore. The Worthleys called 911. Robert Worthley said Guo was roaming around the house with a knife and he and his wife and two kids had locked themselves in a room, afraid that she would come after them.
Police arrived along with the Family Emergency Unit. Three officers entered the Worthleys’ home and Officer Kristin Rupp, a rookie, was stationed at the bottom of the stairs when Guo was descending. Guo said she dropped the knife when she saw the police, but Robert Worthley said Guo went toward Rupp with the knife.
Rupp ordered Guo to drop the knife, then fired three shots when she said Guo continued to advance towards her, according to the police.
“Why wasn’t the Family Emergency Unit brought in?” Yee asked. “I believe that we don’t know where her mental state was at that time. Anna probably didn’t understand what was going on. She was probably confused and she probably went toward Rupp because she was a female cop, thinking she could help her.”
Guo is currently in the Clifton Tatum Center in Ventura, the county’s juvenile hall, awaiting trial. Her father recently released a statement saying he is concerned for his daughter’s welfare while at juvenile hall and worried about the adequacy of the care she received for her injuries while at the hospital. He said she was only in the hospital for eight days.
Wei is asking President Bush for help, and has also written a letter to Jiang Zemin, president of the People’s Republic of China, saying the police mistreated his daughter. Wei sold his restaurant and is living in Alhambra, Calif.
Guo recently said that she has learned her lesson and wants to be reunited with her father. If convicted of the felony charge, Guo faces up to five years in the California Youth Authority.
The Chinese American Citizens Alliance and yellowworld.org are organizing a protest on behalf of Anna Guo outside the Juvenile Courthouse on Thursday, Nov. 14. Go to http://anna.yellowworld.org for more information.
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