10 Asian Gang Suspects Seized in Robbery Cases

Ten suspected members of an Asian gang specializing in robbing homes and businesses were arrested after an investigation, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said Friday.

Detectives from the department’s Asian gang unit raided a Cerritos motel room and took 15 members of the Viet Crips into custody, Detective Ray Paik said. Six adults and four youths were booked in connection with about 14 Los Angeles-area robberies. More arrests are expected, Paik said.

Police said the suspects targeted homes and furniture stores.

The Viet Crips have no relationship to the estimated 160 black gangs in Los Angeles County that add the word “Crips” to their name, Paik said. The Asian gang uses the name because it is the nickname of one of its members, who is crippled, he said.

The gang, which police became aware of only three or four months ago, is one of approximately 80 Asian gangs in Los Angeles that range in size from half a dozen members to hundreds, Paik said.

The suspected gang members arrested are from Orange and Los Angeles counties. The adults booked after the raid were identified as David Minh Tran, Ton Thinh Hong, Trieu Trong Nguyen, Duc Vu Viet, Khoa Lai Tran and Hong Anh Truong. They were all either 18 or 19 years old, Paik said. The names of the juvenile suspects were not released.