Suspect in Killing of 6 Is Captured

Ending a two-year manhunt, authorities converged on a trendy gym in Orange County and captured a 26-year-old man suspected of killing six people, including four who were shot at point-blank range in an El Monte nightclub, officials announced Tuesday.

Ahn The Duong was playing basketball at the 24 Hour Fitness in Costa Mesa on Monday evening when special weapons officers arrested him without incident.

Duong, reputedly a member of a Vietnamese gang from Orange County, faces murder charges in the May 1999 killings at the International Club in El Monte, which drew national attention and was featured on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted.”

He also faces charges of robbery and murder elsewhere in the state.

In San Jose in 1997, he allegedly shot a grocery store owner in the leg during a robbery and then killed the man’s 66-year-old father-in-law. A year later in nearby Fremont, police say, he was part of a group of six who shot and killed an employee of a high-tech firm during a botched heist.

Five alleged Duong cohorts were convicted of first-degree murder in the Fremont case. Another fled the country and Duong remained at large, apparently in California.

The International Club was a known hangout for Asian gangs and had once been shut down by police after two killings in the parking lot.

Early on May 6, 1999, Duong reportedly got into an argument there with a 28-year-old West Covina man named Minh Diu Tran. Moments later, he allegedly came to Tran’s booth, shot him in the head and then continued firing at the others seated at the table.

As club patrons watched in horror, four died, slumped over the table: Tran; Robert Anthony Norman, 20, of Garden Grove; Hao The Tang, 22, of South El Monte; and Lan Thi Dang, 23, of Long Beach.

Dang’s boyfriend cried and cradled her as her younger sister watched. Tang was celebrating her birthday. It was unclear if the suspect knew any of the victims.

Although there were many witnesses, no one interviewed by sheriff’s detectives said they recognized the suspect, officials said at the time. He disappeared and was not identified until that December, with a tip from an informant.

The FBI, as well as police in San Jose and Fremont, had also issued warrants for Duong.

But when no information surfaced on his whereabouts--even after the “America’s Most Wanted” episode aired in May 2000--detectives were losing hope and suspected that he had fled the country.

“The trail was very cold,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Det. Bill Davis. “I was pretty sure he went to Vietnam.”

Then, about a month ago, Costa Mesa police received a tip that Duong was living in the area, officials said. A task force that included police from Costa Mesa, Garden Grove and Fountain Valley began tracking him and moved in Monday evening.

“It just happened while he was playing basketball at a 24 Hour Fitness on Anton,” said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney. “He went quietly.”

Authorities also arrested Edward Lwanga Mukasa, 33, and Christine Kaimen Chen, 19, both of Costa Mesa, on suspicion of harboring a fugitive and being accessories to murder.

El Monte Police Det. David Lazzarini said Duong refused to speak to Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives, citing his right to an attorney.

Davis said he was surprised when he heard authorities in Orange County had tracked him down. “We have been looking for him for so long, we kind of lost hope,” he said. “I’m glad he resurfaced.”

Authorities in San Jose heard about the arrest on Tuesday. They too had few leads in finding the killer of Chau Quach, who chased Duong after he allegedly robbed and shot Quach’s son-in-law. The 66-year-old man was shot in front of his relative’s grocery store.

In Fremont, Duong is wanted in the August 1998 killing of an employee of Wintec Industries.

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this story.