Trio arrested in area burglaries

FREMONT -- Three men are expected to face felony charges today after they were linked this week to a pair of burglaries in a neighborhood near Mission San Jose.

The men were arrested Wednesday afternoon shortly after two gardeners spotted them fleeing a home that had been ransacked on Southerland Way, Sgt. Chris Mazzone said.

Police arrested Oakland residents Bui Hieu, 18, and Vinh Hoang, 25, and Hayward resident Tai Nguyen, 21, on suspicion of burglary and possessing stolen property, Mazzone said.

Nguyen and Hoang also were booked into Fremont City Jail on suspicion of violating the terms of their probation, and Hieu also was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, the sergeant said.

The men were arrested about 2:15 p.m., minutes after gardeners called police to report suspicious activity in the area of Southerland Way and Pine Street. An officer already in the area spotted the vehicle, a stolen 2007 Honda coupe, and detained the men.

As officers were arresting them, police learned that a home on Castellejo Way also had been burglarized earlier in the day. Police searched the suspects' vehicle and found bags of stolen items -- including two laptop computers, a digital camera, jewelry and mail - - that had been taken from the Castellejo Way home, Mazzone said.

Staff writer Ben Aguirre Jr. covers police and the courts for The Argus. He can be reached at 510-353-7011 or

baguirre@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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