Two Arrested, Linked With String of Home Invasion Robberies

Two suspected gang members have been charged and police seized a hoard of high-powered weapons and thousands of dollars’ worth of goods believed to be stolen, authorities said Wednesday.

Police said the gang is believed responsible for a string of violent home invasion robberies.

More arrests are expected as police widen their inquiry into the gang, which many investigators fear stretches throughout Los Angeles County.

“We’re talking about a vicious group,” said Glendale Police Sgt. Rick Young.

Police allege that Thach Hong Nguyen, 27, of Pomona, and Michael Hoa Luong, 21, of Rosemead, are part of a gang that has targeted Asian residents throughout the county for home invasion robberies that have netted, among other items, jewelry, electronic equipment, money and weapons.

Luong was charged with assault with a firearm, attempted sodomy and home invasion robbery, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Nguyen was charged with conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery and receiving stolen property.

An investigator who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the men are part of the Wah Ching gang, an Asian gang with a history of violent crimes.

While police said they didn’t know how many home invasion robberies are connected to the group, they said they hope the publicity surrounding the arrests will yield leads.

Glendale police arrested the men Aug. 30 after serving warrants at two homes in Pomona, where they said they found the weapons and other items.

Along with the goods believed to be stolen, police said they discovered two baseball caps and two black jackets, all emblazoned with the letters “FBI.” Police said they also found a U.S. government license plate and an official-looking badge.

“The [FBI] raid-style jackets and the hats were of great alarm to us, along with the license plate and badge,” said Dan Hinojosa, lead gang investigator with the Glendale Police Department.

“All the weapons found were locked and loaded,” he said.

Upon entering one home, police saw three targets on a wall, each the silhouetted outline of a human being, each riddled with bullet holes, Hinojosa said.

The warrants were issued after a May 13 home invasion in Glendale in which a maid was bound with duct tape, beaten and sexually assaulted. One of the guns stolen from the home was found in Pomona, leading investigators to the houses where the suspects and stolen items were discovered, Hinojosa said.

Among the weaponry recovered were a Ruger pistol with a laser-scope sight, a sawed-off shotgun and various assault weapons, police said.