Suspect Seized in House Robberies in Three States
A reputed gang member who was wanted for a series of residential robberies in three states has been arrested in Westminster, police said Friday.
Acting on a tip from members of the Asian-American community, Westminster police arrested Sang Thanh Tran, 21, of Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday, Detective Marcus Frank said.
Frank said investigators believe that Tran is a member of the Scorpions, a Vietnamese gang linked to multiple armed residential robberies in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.
Louisiana authorities have begun extradition proceedings to have Tran returned to answer at least three outstanding charges, Frank said.
Shortly after Tran’s arrest, Westminster police seized two .38-caliber handguns from the Titus Street house in which he had been staying for the last four days.
Frank said police also questioned two alleged gang members who were occupants of the house. The two men--residents of Texas and Oregon--were not held.
“From the weapons we discovered and his reputation, we suspect that Tran and his friends were going to carry out their dirty work here,” Frank said.
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