Police Arrive in Time to Thwart Home Invasion, Arrest 3 Men

Police surprised three thieves who were holding a family at gunpoint in a home and caught the assailants as they tried to flee, authorities said Thursday.

One shot was fired as police pursued An Thien Nguyen, 19, of Garden Grove, Chuan Vu Ha, 19, of Santa Ana and Thanh Cao Nguyen, 20, of Westminster. They were being held in County Jail on robbery charges, police said.

No one was injured at the home in the 13600 block of Purdy Street, according to Garden Grove Police Sgt. Doug Morrill.

The robbery began about 10 p.m. Wednesday when three men entered the home through an open garage door. They burst into the living room brandishing pistols, surprising the five people inside, Morrill said.

Family members and a friend of the family were herded into one room and told to lay down. While two gunmen watched, the third searched for jewelry, credit cards, and electronic equipment.

Unknown to the gunmen, relatives who were stopping by for a visit saw the robbery in progress and called police from a neighbor’s home, Morrill said. By the time police arrived, the first gunman was leaving the house with a VCR in his arms. He wheeled around and dove back in the house.

The three men escaped out the back of the house. The first suspect was taken into custody before he could hop a fence that runs along the perimeter of the back yard. The second was found trying to climb onto the roof of a neighboring residence, and the third was arrested after he entered a vehicle several blocks from the house.

Police have recovered a .32-caliber pistol on the lawn of a neighboring home and are searching for a second weapon.

None of the three arrested are believed to be gang members.