Teen shoplifter who stabbed LA shop owner defending his store to get 5 years

One of two teen shoplifters arrested in the death of LA shop owner Du "Tommy" Lee and initially charged with murder was sentenced to five years for voluntary manslaughter.

The store owner, a Korean immigrant and a fixture in the district for nearly 20 years, reportedly chased and confronted the teens before he was stabbed near the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Wall Street, per the release.  A boyfriend and girlfriend, both 17, were arrested in Lee's death – one of them was sentenced to five years in a juvenile facility, while the other will go before a judge in the coming weeks. (FOX 11) Per California's Proposition 21, minors accused of murder, certain sex crimes and other violent crimes will automatically be tried as adults. (FOX 11) Christina Coulter is a U.S. and World reporter for Fox News Digital. Email story tips to christina.coulter@fox.com.

Witnesses told FOX 11 that the two 17-year-olds – a boyfriend and girlfriend – ran out onto the street after stealing a wig with Lee in pursuit. Lee and one of the teens wrestled for a gun that the shoplifters had. Then, the store's landlord told the outlet, one of the teens "pulled out a knife and shanked him right in the heart."