Tuesday, January 17, 2012

YOUNG LEE: Pinkberry Founder Charged with Assault; Pinkberry goes on "damage control"


I guess I won't be eating that "killer" frozen treats over at Pinkberry anymore.  I remember when they opened up their first store on Santa Monica Boulevard.  Anyway....Young Lee, the founder of the MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY is in a heap (not scoop) of trouble....

Here is the official details from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and below is a statement from Pinkberry via Facebook.

LOS ANGELES – One of the founders of the Pinkberry yogurt stores is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 6 for allegedly beating a transient with a tire iron, breaking his arm and causing several lacerations to his head, the District Attorney’s office announced. Young Lee, 47 (dob 9-6-64), was arrested Monday on a felony complaint for arrest warrant filed Dec. 28, 2011 by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Lee was released on $60,000 bail. Lee is charged in case BA392191 with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, a tire iron, with a special allegation that the assault caused great bodily injury. Prosecutors said Lee allegedly parked the car he was driving on Vermont Avenue near the Hollywood Freeway offramp shortly after 3 p.m. on June 15, 2011. Lee and a second unidentified suspect got out of the vehicle and confronted the victim because Lee thought the victim had disrespected him by exposing a sexually explicit tattoo. Lee allegedly used a tire iron to beat the victim on his head and arm. The victim sustained a broken left forearm and several cuts to his head. Several witnesses who saw the assault called police and provided the vehicle’s license number. LAPD officers investigated the incident and identified Lee as one of the suspects. Lee, who was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor carrying a loaded firearm in 2001, is facing up to seven years in state prison if convicted. He is due in court on Feb. 6 at the Criminal Justice Center, 210 West Temple St., in Department 30 for arraignment sometime after 8:30 a.m.

Now, Pinkberry has issued the following statement via Facebook this afternoon....

We are aware of the news that’s circulating about Mr. Young Lee. Earlier today, we tried to connect with each of you that posted to our wall about this issue, but feel that we need to address it more broadly within our community. Young Lee has no involvement with Pinkberry, our partners or our more than 170 stores world-wide. Pinkberry ended its ties with Mr. Lee formally on May 1, 2010. He has noinfluence or input into the company in any way, and the parties have not been in communication with one another since Mr. Lee’s exit. While it would be inappropriate for us to speculate on the allegations in question, we can say without hesitation that Pinkberry values the communities we serve and stands against acts of violence of any kind, especially those involving the most vulnerable among us.
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