A Vietnamese gang member who participated as a driver in a hit squad on a 13-year-old child and his relatives has pleaded guilty and yesterday was sentenced to 25 years and 8 months in prison, according to a press release from the Orange County D.A.’s office.
The gang member who actually did the shooting had been tried and found guilty in May, and the jury had recommended the death sentence for him.
The killing took place in the evening of August 12, 2003, around 9 p.m. The 13-year-old victim Minh Tran was going for tacos with his brother, two cousins — all 14 years old — and their uncle Nam Luong, 28, to Alerto’s Mexican Food on Brookhurst in Westminster. Alerto’s is a popular hangout for a lot of Vietnamese in Little Saigon.
Unfortunately for the victim, Alerto’s was also a favorite of Donny Long Nguyen and other members of his street gang. Nguyen, 18 at the time, was at Alerto’s with his girlfriend and niece, 
and thought he recognized one as a rival gang member. That, however, was mistaken identity. The victims were not associated with any gang at all.
Nguyen then telephoned fellow gang member Dung Q. Le, then 20, and told Le to “do whatever you need to do.”
So Le gathered together his posse, consisting of himself, Harrison Khoa Pham, then 16; Aaron Villegas, then 16; and Danny Viet Duong, then 17. They all piled into Pham’s car and drove to Alerto’s, parking outside and waiting for the victims to leave.
When Minh Tran and his family left, the gang followed in their car, while calling other gang members to come over. Quang Hal Do, then 18; and Jason Alejandro Aguirre, then 28; then joined the chase, Do driving Aguirre.
Meanwhile, the uncle who was driving noticed that he was being followed. He became fearful, drove into a residential neighborhood, got stuck in a cul-de-sac, so he drove onto a driveway, turned off the car and lights and hid there.
The gang’s first car drove to the cul-de-sac, recognized the car in the driveway, so drove to the mouth of the cul-de-sac and waited there. Do and Aguirre then arrived.
The gang talked briefly, then Do and Aguirre drove into the cul-de-sac and blocked the driveway.
Aguirre got out of the car with a gun. He was dressed in all black with his face covered.
Coming to the passenger side of the car, Aguirre shot the front passenger Minh Tran multiple times, hitting him once in the heart and liver and several times in the arm and torso. Tran later died at the hospital.
Aguirre also shot the rear passengers, hitting Minh’s brother in the stomach. He survived his life-threatening injuries after undergoing several surgeries.
Aguirre shot at and missed one of the cousins, seated in the rear middle seat, who was grazed by a bullet and suffered a non-life-threatening wound.
Aguirre then got back in the car and Do drove the two away.
A witness who was visiting a neighbor heard the gunshots, got a description of the defendants’ vehicles while attempting to follow them in his own car, and called 9-1-1.
The following morning, Do falsely reported that his car had been stolen. Aguirre fled and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On March 12, 2004, seven months after the murder, Aguirre was found in Tempe, Arizona, after being contacted by police related to a fight. When officers arrived at Aguirre’s apartment, he gave the name “Bill” and attempted to run. Aguirre had remained in contact with members of his gang in Orange County.
All defendants, including those who were minors at the time of the murder, were tried as adults.
Aguirre, who was the shooter, was found guilty one count of special circumstances murder for a criminal street gang purpose, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of street terrorism. The jury recommended the death sentence for Aguirre.
Nguyen, who called in the hit, had previously pleaded guilty in January and was sentenced to 18 years and 4 months in prison.
Le, who first responded to Do’s call, had pleaded guilty in June and was sentenced to 23 years and 4 months.
The other gang members involved – Pham, Villegas, Duong, had also pleaded guilty previously. Pham was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months; Villegas and Duong are still awaiting sentencing.
Do, the gang member who drove Aguirre, was the last to plead and he pleaded guilty yesterday and was sentenced to 25 years 8 months.
Following is the complete text of the DA’s press release.
July 16, 2009
GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO OVER 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR KILLING 13-YEAR-OLD BOY MISTAKENLY BELIEVED TO BE A RIVAL *Jury recommended the death penalty for shooter co-defendant in June 2009
SANTA ANA – A gang member pleaded guilty today to killing a 13-year-old boy and attempting to murder two of his family members for the benefit of his gang after mistakenly believing that the victims were rivals. Defendant Quang Hal Do, 24, Westminster, who was 18 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to one felony count of voluntary manslaughter, two felony counts of attempted murder, and a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity. Do was sentenced to 25 years and eight months in state prison.
CO-DEFENDANTS
The defendants are all members of a Vietnamese criminal street gang. A jury recommended the death penalty for defendant Jason Alejandro Aguirre, 34, Garden Grove, on June 15, 2009. Aguirre, who was 28 years old at the time of the murder, was found guilty by that jury on May 21, 2009, of felonies for one count of special circumstances murder for a criminal street gang purpose, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of street terrorism. The sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death, great bodily injury, and criminal street gang activity were found true. Aguirre is scheduled to be formally sentenced on Aug. 14, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-40, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Defendants Harrison Khoa Pham, then 16 years old, Aaron Villegas, then 16 years old, and Danny Viet Duong, then 17 years old, were all prosecuted as adults. Pham, 22, pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2008, to two felony counts of attempted murder, one felony count of street terrorism, and one felony count of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced July 10, 2009, to six years and eight months in state prison. Villegas, 22, pleaded guilty Feb. 14, 2006, and Duong, 23, pleaded guilty Sept. 15, 2006, to one felony count of murder and one felony count of street terrorism. Both are scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 11, 2009, in Department C-30, Central Justice Center.
Dung Q Le, 26, Portland, OR, who was 20 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty June 20, 2008, to two felony counts of attempted murder and one felony count of voluntary manslaughter with a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity and was sentenced to 23 years and four months in state prison. Donny Long Nguyen, 24, Westminster, who was 18 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty Jan. 11, 2008, to two felony counts of attempted murder and one felony count of voluntary manslaughter with a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity and was sentenced to 18 years and four months is state prison.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF CRIMINAL CASE
On Aug. 12, 2003, 13-year-old Minh Tran went for tacos with his brother Anh Tran, 14, cousins Ba Tran, 14, and Ahn Ta, 14, and uncle Nam Luong, 28, to Alerto’s Mexican Food on Brookhurst in Westminster. Alerto’s was a regular hangout for members of Aguirre’s criminal street gang.
At approximately 9:00 p.m., defendant Nguyen, who was at Alerto’s with his girlfriend and niece, noticed the victims and mistakenly thought he recognized one as a rival gang member. The victims are not associated with any gang. Nguyen called fellow gang member Le, told him that a rival was at Alerto’s, and instructed him to “do whatever you need to do.”
Le, Pham, Villegas, and Duong, drove to Alerto’s in Pham’s car and parked outside, waiting for the victims to leave. When Minh Tran and his family left, the defendants followed the victims in their car. The defendants made several calls to other fellow gang members, including Aguirre, telling them to come join them as back-up. The victims, who became fearful after realizing that they were being followed, attempted to hide from the defendants by pulling into a neighborhood cul-de-sac, parking in a driveway, and turning off the car and lights. The defendants recognized the victims’ car and parking at the mouth of the cul-de-sac to wait for the other gang members to arrive.
Shortly thereafter, Do and Aguirre arrived at the cul-de-sac. Do was the driver. After a brief conversation with Le, Aguirre and Do drove into the cul-de-sac with the other defendants’ car and blocked the victims’ car in the driveway by parking behind it. Aguirre, dressed in all black and with his face covered, got out of the car with a firearm, approached the passenger side of the victims’ vehicle, and fired several shots into the victim’s car.
Aguirre shot the front passenger, Minh Tran, once in the heart and liver and several times in the arm and torso. Tran later died at the hospital. Aguirre shot rear right passenger Anh Tran, who was hit in the stomach. He survived his life-threatening injuries after undergoing several surgeries. Aguirre shot at and missed Anh Ta, seated in the rear middle seat, who was grazed by a bullet and suffered a non-life-threatening wound.
After shooting the victims, Aguirre got back into the car and Do drove the two as they fled the scene. A witness who was visiting a neighboring home heard the gunshots, got a description of the defendants’ vehicles while attempting to follow them in his own car, and called 9-1-1. The following morning, Do falsely reported that his car had been stolen. Aguirre fled and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On March 12, 2004, seven months after the murder, Aguirre was found in Tempe, AZ, after being contacted by police related to a fight. When officers arrived at Aguirre’s apartment, the defendant gave the name “Bill” and attempted to run. Aguirre had remained in contact with members of his gang in Orange County.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Sonia Balleste of the Homicide Unit prosecuted this case.
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This is an unsettling message. I come to Alberto’s sometimes too to buy food there. I hope Anh Ta grow up to become a prosecutor not a gang member (that is if he decide to pursue career in criminal justice) Oh the vicious cycle of gangs..
Somehow the Communists are involved with this.
Bolsavik….. investigate.
Took one life, and got 25 yrs in prison, What about other gang member?