$20K Reward For Info On Marine Left For Dead After Being Attacked, Run Over In LA County

LOS ANGELES, CA — A $20,000 reward is being offered in connection to the murder of a Marine who was beaten, run over a car and left for dead in southeast Los Angeles County.

Peter Chounthala, 42, was attacked by at least two men at around 2 a.m. May 28 near Virginia Avenue and Artesia Boulevard in Bellflower. Chounthala collapsed in the street, and was subsequently struck by a car, the driver of which fled the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Chounthala died at the scene.

The LA County Board of Supervisors earlier this month approved a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects in the case.

Authorities do not have a description of the people suspected of attacking Chounthala. They fled on foot. The car that subsequently struck him was described as a dark-colored 2021-2023 Kia K5 sedan.

Chounthala was an active-duty Marine who served tours and was injured in Afghanistan, a husband and the father of a three-year-old boy.

"His sense of humor, his generosity ... he was everything to me, to my family, to our friends and family," his wife, Jurina, told reporters at a news conference in Monterey Park. "He is like the glue that held all of us together."

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives Robert McGaughey or Steve Bragg at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted online to Crime Stoppers or by calling 800-222-8477.

City News Service contributed to this report.