San Jose Kidnapping Saga Ends With Three Arrests, Police Report
San Jose police announced on Thursday the arrest of three suspects involved in a kidnapping and torture case from earlier this year.
According to investigators, the kidnapping occurred on February 13, when a guy was seized in the 2600 block of Million Court.
“Multiple suspects held the victim against his will and tortured and assaulted him numerous times,” police stated in a press release. Investigators stated the man was eventually released and appeared at a nearby hospital two days after the alleged kidnapping.
The police department’s robbery squad initiated an investigation, which resulted in the arrests of Duc Nguyen, Kim Ho, and Dayton Pham last week. A search warrant for the case turned out unlawful gaming machines and illegal marijuana for sale, according to authorities.
The accused are charged with robbery, kidnapping, torture, and assault with a deadly weapon.
San Jose police also stated that during the investigation, they tied Nguyen to other crimes, including being the “primary suspect” in a huge organized retail theft ring under investigation by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. In one case, Nguyen and 12 other defendants were detained on suspicion of stealing around $150,000 worth of products from South Bay businesses.
According to investigators, arrests in that case occurred after search warrants were executed at two San Jose residences where the stolen items were discovered.
“This was not a small operation.” This was pretty significant,” said Capt. Brendan Omori of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. “[Nguyen] is undoubtedly one of the organization’s leaders. He’s what we call the fence – someone who collects stolen items and then distributes and resells it.” The suspects were apprehended by the Sheriff’s Office’s High Impact Team and Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, with assistance from the San Jose and Campbell police departments.
As part of the inquiry, the High Impact Team collaborated closely with Home Depot, a major retailer in the area.
According to sheriff’s officials, the majority of the confiscated items, valued approximately $110,000, came from Home Depot. Target, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Macy’s, and Sunglass Hut all contributed approximately $40,000 in additional products, according to investigators.
“The collaborative effort between law enforcement and the private sector proved to be instrumental in disrupting the operations of organized retail theft rings,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Along with Duc Nguyen, additional suspects in the retail theft case included Hoan Nguyen, Phuoc Nguyen, Dat Nguyen, Duyen Le, Dat Tran, Lisa Butler, Chau Vo, Su Nguyen, Anita Nguyen, Hoang Luu, and Tu Nguyen.
They face felony charges for grand theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, and organized retail theft. “They were moving items in and out. We had no idea what was going on, but it was folks who didn’t live there and didn’t appear particularly trustworthy,” said one neighbor, who did not offer his name.
Another neighbor spoke about what he heard and observed during the raid. “It happened as soon as I got up to go to work. And I heard the flash-bangs directly next to my room, as well as the noise outside,” Trong Nguyen explained.