Police Arrest Man in 1997 Deaths of Two

Three years after a gang-related shooting left two people dead at a high school graduation party in Westminster, a man wanted in connection with the killings was arrested Monday when a police officer pulled him over for not wearing his seat belt, police said.

Police arrested Nhut Thanh Vo, 19, about 10 a.m. at Trask Avenue and Jackson Street, said Det. Richard Mize of the Westminster Police Department. Vo allegedly “played an active role” in the shootings, but Mize would not say what that was. Two people have already been prosecuted for the shooting on May 31, 1997; police believe the killings were the culmination of an escalating gang rivalry.

The man who police suspect actually fired the semiautomatic handgun, Van Ngoc Nguyen, remains at large. “Right now it’s three down, one to go,” Mize said. “It’s just a waiting game at this point. [Nguyen] will make a mistake too.”

Vo’s capture came by chance: A Garden Grove police officer, Michael Rosario, pulled Vo over for not wearing a seat belt. Police said Vo acted extremely nervous, fidgeting and sweating. “He was just really afraid of the car stop,” Mize said. Rosario, using the computer in his police car, did a thorough check, and discovered a $500,000 arrest warrant for Vo.

Police had sought Vo for three years. In 1997, they questioned him about the shootings, but he wasn’t arrested because police were trying to gather more evidence. Later, when they tried to arrest him, they said, he had fled.

Westminster investigators ask that anyone with information call the department at (714) 898-3315, and ask for Mize at Ext. 340 or Det. Sam Miller at Ext. 336.