Tommy Lee, 56, who owned a wig shop near the intersection of Wall Street and Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles, was working around 1:15 p.m. when a pair of 17-year-olds attempted to rob him.

“They were looking at a wig. And then all of a sudden, they made a run for it,” landlord Davina Kangavari said. Surveillance and cellphone video showed one of the suspects looking at a blonde wig before both took off. Lee then started chasing them.

“Tommy had a record of being tough and going after robbers. He started chasing them around [the] shopping center and then the boy pulled out a knife and shanked him right in the heart,” Kangavari said.