Zhengfeng Bo, the 67-year-old Irvine man who brazenly kidnapped a business associate, stuffed him in the trunk of a car, led police on a high-speed chase and then executed his victim in front of stunned deputies, was “a very reasonable person,” according to his lawyer.
In an interview, Michael Chen, who had been representing Bo in a heated legal dispute over a $20-million apartment complex in Pasadena, sounded genuinely stunned and shaken by the news, adding that his client always struck him as “a very calm person.”
Bo died in a hail of police bullets during the traffic stop on Wednesday night after sheriff’s deputies said he kidnapped Shukur Aikebaer, 60, from his Chino Hills home — but not before nonchalantly exiting the driver’s seat, sauntering to the back of the car and fatally shooting Aikebaer, who was still in the trunk.
Investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department have not revealed a motive for the slaying, which played out on the otherwise quiet streets of Chino Hills like a scene from a Quentin Tarantino film, but they noted that the shooter and victim knew each other “through a prior working relationship.”
The two were associates in a commercial real estate firm, Panshi Inc., registered in Irvine, according to public records. Documents show Bo served as chief executive officer, while Aikebaer was listed as the company’s chief financial officer and secretary.
Bo, Panshi and another associate lent the developers of the apartment complex more than $2 million, at least some of which had not been repaid, according to a lawsuit Chen filed in February in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
On Monday, Chen filed another claim against the developers, The Madison Collection LLC, seeking to oust its property managers and transfer control to Panshi.
The Madison Collection had been stonewalling these efforts for months, according to the lawsuit, refusing to turn over books and bank accounts.
Representatives for The Madison Collection could not be reached for comment.
Aikebaer had been the “middleman” between Panshi and The Madison Collection, Chen said. As far as he knew, until Wednesday, Bo and Aikebaer had a good relationship. There was nothing “adversarial” about it, he said.
“But obviously, something happened,” Chen said. “Maybe some information came to light that prompted [Bo] to take this action.”
Chen said he had no idea what that information could have been, or if the killing was even connected to the business dispute.
“I was just shocked to hear about this,” Chen said. “I had never seen this side of him. I was really surprised.”
Aikebaer walked out of his house on Wednesday evening to investigate why the power had gone out when he was confronted by Bo and his brother, Jianquan Bo.
They shot Aikebaer at least once and then shoved him into the trunk of a silver Nissan Altima, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Aikebaer’s wife and daughter were home at the time. Neighbors said they heard the wife screaming that her husband had been shot.
Responding to 911 calls, deputies spotted the Nissan speeding away from the scene. It led them on a mile-long chase, ending in the 2400 block of Wandering Ridge Drive, where they ordered the driver and a passenger out of the vehicle.
Jianquan Bo, who was in the passenger’s seat, complied.
Zhengfeng Bo, who had been in the driver’s seat, began to comply, according to surveillance video obtained by a local TV station. But then he returned to the driver’s seat, appeared to grab something, then walked back to the trunk.
That’s when deputies say Bo shot and killed Aikebaer, prompting officers to open fire on him.
Deputies say they initiated lifesaving measures on both Bo and Aikebaer, without success.
Jianquan Bo was not injured and was taken into custody. He was booked on suspicion of murder and kidnapping.