Walnut : Alleged Torturer to Be Tried
A man who allegedly captured undocumented Chinese immigrants and extorted smuggling fees from them through torture and beatings will stand trial in Pomona Superior Court, a judge ruled Tuesday.
At a preliminary hearing, Citrus Municipal Judge R. Bruce Minto said there was enough evidence to try Shao Qin Chen, 28, on two counts of torture and two counts of kidnaping for the purpose of extortion or ransom.
Chen will be arraigned Nov. 2.
Minto set bail at $1 million and returned Chen to custody in Los Angeles County Jail, Deputy Dist. Atty. Linda Chilstrom said.
Chen is accused of holding up to a dozen illegal Chinese immigrants hostage in a five-bedroom Walnut tract home and trying to ransom them for $15,000 apiece. He was arrested Sept. 20 after two of the immigrants escaped by jumping out a second-story window.
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