Buena Park Man Convicted After Chasing, Shooting At Driver Over Porto's Parking Spot

A dispute over a parking spot outside Porto's Bakery & Cafe in Buena Park ended with gunfire, a foot chase, and now a felony conviction. A jury found 57-year-old Wei Chen of Chino Hills guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter, three counts of assault with a firearm, and shooting at a car, but rejected the more serious charge of attempted murder that prosecutors originally sought.

The confrontation happened around 6 p.m. on October 1, 2023, as Chen and driver Josh Nelson were both waiting for a parking spot to open at the popular bakery at 7640 Beach Blvd. Prosecutors said Chen blocked Nelson from taking the spot and then took it himself, according to MyNewsLA. Defense attorneys said Nelson responded by flipping Chen off after losing the spot, and the two men began exchanging words as Chen approached Nelson's vehicle on foot.

Nelson, who had his two children, ages 2 and 3, in the backseat of his SUV, hit reverse to get away, and witnesses said his SUV struck Chen as he backed out. Prosecutors said Chen then opened fire at Nelson's vehicle and chased the SUV on foot while armed, firing again as Nelson drove away. Nelson told investigators he heard three to four shots and honked at Chen before driving off; no one in either vehicle was struck by gunfire.

A 9-Year-Old Witness From Inside the Car

Chen had his own 9-year-old son in the backseat of his car during the confrontation, and according to the prosecution's account, the boy told investigators he watched his father grab a gun from inside the vehicle and later saw him chase after Nelson's SUV. The three felony assault-with-a-firearm counts against Chen corresponded to Nelson and his two young children in the backseat, underscoring the danger posed to the minors in both vehicles even though no one was hit by bullets.

Chen reportedly told his son afterward that he had not killed anyone, and he waited outside his own car for several minutes before Buena Park police arrived and took him into custody in the bakery parking lot without further incident.

Self-Defense Claim Turns on a Language Barrier

At trial, defense attorneys argued Chen never intended to hurt Nelson and instead fired to warn him about backing the SUV into him, claiming Chen believed he was shooting plastic rounds rather than live ammunition. Central to that defense was the fact that Chen was speaking Mandarin while Nelson was speaking English during the confrontation, a communication gap defense counsel said fed Chen's panicked, mistaken belief that he was acting in self-defense as Nelson's vehicle came at him.

Jurors ultimately rejected both the attempted murder charge and a sentencing enhancement for attempted premeditated murder, instead convicting Chen of the lesser attempted voluntary manslaughter charge. They did find sentencing enhancements for Chen's personal use of a firearm during the incident. When prosecutors first filed charges on October 3, 2023, Chen faced felony attempted murder, two counts of assault with a firearm, and discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle along with premeditated murder enhancements, according to an earlier MyNewsLA report from shortly after his arrest. He was arraigned later that month at the North Justice Center in Fullerton, and the case wound through the Orange County court system for nearly three years before reaching a verdict.

A Chronic Parking Squeeze at a Regional Draw

The Buena Park location has been a magnet for crowds since it opened as a 25,000-square-foot store in March 2017, the Cuban bakery chain's fourth Southern California outpost and its first in Orange County, according to CBS News. Opening day drew lines that snaked around the block, and the location's popularity has made parking availability a persistent headache; Porto's later added complimentary valet service specifically to manage the congestion, per the SoCal Restaurant Show.

The bakery sits along Beach Boulevard, State Route 39, a 21-mile commercial corridor where Buena Park, Anaheim, and Stanton have each invested in revitalization and public safety efforts in recent years, according to the Los Angeles Times. The shooting stands as a stark example of how ordinary friction along that busy stretch can escalate quickly when tempers and weapons mix.

Chen is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2026, following his conviction on the reduced charges.