Tuan 'Monkey' was helped by 5 people to escape

On the afternoon of May 5, after 3 months of investigation, Ho Chi Minh City Police proposed to prosecute 18 people related to Tuan "monkey". Of these, 5 people were accused of "Concealing crimes, not reporting crimes" -helped Tuan escape for 15 days while being pursued by the police.

Le Quoc Tuan, aka Tuan "Monkey". Photo: Provided by the police.

At noon on January 29 - the 5th day of Lunar New Year, people heard many gunshots and screams in the longan garden in Tan Thanh Dong commune, Cu Chi district - where the casino had been held many days before. 4 victims died on the spot, 2 other young men were injured when Tuan "monkey" unloaded AK machine gun rounds into the crowd, after a conflict with gamblers. Before that, Tuan lost all his money, so he had to ask his cousin Le Quoc Minh (aka Si Da, 27 years old) to go to his mother's house to get 100 million VND to recover, but the other gamblers did not agree.

After committing the crime, Tuan took a bag containing more than 800 million VND from a person in the casino, climbed onto someone else's SH and drove straight to Pham Thanh Tam's house (aka Ty "Ba Dom", 33 years old) to ask him to deliver the money to his wife. On the way to escape, he left the SH, stole a Nouvo and drove to Phu Hoa Dong commune, then threw the bike into Lang Tre canal to erase traces, and hid in an area of ​​dense vegetation along the deserted Provincial Road 15. Hundreds of police were mobilized to hunt down the perpetrator.

Early the next morning, Tuan, shirtless, carrying an AK rifle with a folding stock, rushed out from the bushes to block Le Van Hieu's 4-seater car. The driver panicked and stepped on the gas to swerve, Tuan fired a series of bullets into the car, fortunately not injuring the owner. A moment later, Vo Chi Tam (40 years old) passed by on a motorbike, was shot dead by Tuan, who stole his old Wave motorbike to use as a means of escape.

The police blocked off many areas, tightening the siege. Tuan "monkey" abandoned his motorbike in the Duong Do canal and swam to his cousin's house, Vo Hong Tam (31 years old) and Nguyen Duy Thanh (21 years old) in Tan Hoa hamlet, Tan Hiep commune, Hoc Mon. The three brothers discussed how to hide Tuan's whereabouts and let him hide there. After providing his cousin with a SIM card and phone, Tam returned to Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), while Thanh returned to Cu Chi to meet his sister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (31 years old) and asked for help for Tuan.

The next morning, Ngan went to the company where Ly Van Me (31 years old) worked as a security guard, gave him Tuan "monkey"'s new phone number and offered to help. Me called Tuan many times to discuss and top up his phone to discuss the escape plan. Facing the fierce pursuit of 500 police officers from the Ministry of Public Security, Ho Chi Minh City Police and other provinces and cities, Tuan decided to stay put. In the following days, Thanh and Me tried to find a way to take Tuan to hide in Vung Tau.

On February 10, Me contacted Dang Trung Ngoc (20 years old, taxi driver) to ask him to take Tuan "Khi" to Vung Tau. Ngoc agreed to pay 6 million VND, but asked Tuan to remove the bullets from the gun and tape it so that he would not cause any danger on the way. After thinking it over, he did not dare to meet Tuan, so the "contract" was canceled.

On the night of February 13 to the early morning of February 14, Ho Chi Minh City Police coordinated with many forces to capture Tuan "monkey" at a house near Cau Xang, Binh My Commune, Cu Chi - more than 10 km from where he committed the crime. When he discovered the mobile task force approaching, Tuan pulled out an AK gun to fight back and was killed, ending his 15 days on the run.

Police cordoned off and searched for Tuan for many days and nights. Photo:Huu Khoa

Because Tuan "Monkey" has died, Ho Chi Minh City Police suspended the investigation of the accused for the crimes of "Murder", "Robbery, Illegal possession and use of military weapons".