Irvine, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2017) – Five suspects are in custody following a string of residential burglaries that led to an extensive search in an Irvine neighborhood on Wednesday.
Verasm Kevin Eam, 22, Ferdinand Morales Franco, 32, Tracy Nan, 32, and Kevin Paul Williams, 30, all of Long Beach, were arrested Wednesday after committing four residential burglaries in the Northwood Pointe neighborhood. Terry Nguyen Huynh, 21, of Newport Beach is charged with being an accessory to the crimes.
On Wednesday around 11:30 a.m., police received a report of a residential burglary in progress on Lynnfield. Suspects were seen fleeing the home in a black Lexus. An hour later, an Irvine Police Department sergeant spotted the suspect vehicle near Meadowood Park and initiated a traffic stop. The female driver, later identified as Nan, was arrested, but three other suspects fled the vehicle. One was quickly found hiding in a trashcan nearby.
Meadowood Park is located next to Canyon View Elementary School, which was placed on lockdown as officers set a perimeter and began a search. Nearby Northwood High School initiated a soft lockdown as a precaution. A California Highway Patrol airplane was called in to assist in the search; an Anaheim Police Department helicopter was also utilized.
As the search continued, a resident on Montrose came home around 2:50 p.m. to find the two remaining suspects fleeing from her garage. She alerted officers in the area to the activity. The suspects were then seen by officers running eastbound on Portola Parkway before they made their way back into the neighborhood. They broke in to a residence on Brockton, where the resident ran out and alerted police.
The suspects were arrested after they fled the home on Brockton.
Later, officers learned of a break-in earlier in the day on Straw Flower, bringing the total to four.
Around 5:30 p.m., a resident noticed a passenger in a Lyft vehicle who was acting suspiciously. The passenger stated she was there to pick up friends. Officers were notified and determined Terry Nguyen Huynh was associated with the suspects and was attempting to give them a ride. She was arrested at the scene.
Irvine Police were able to recover some cash and property discarded by the suspects throughout the neighborhood, however, some items have not been located. Residents who find items that may be related to this case are asked to call Irvine Police Department Detective Jameson Roberts at 949-724-7170 or jroberts@cityofirvine.org.
###