Three people from Arizona were arrested on Monday in relation to the murder of an Irvine man in Garden Grove that occurred over the weekend on Sunday. As for the motive, investigators believe that it was an illegal marijuana deal gone awry. This has been the third fatal shooting this year in Garden Grove directly related to the sale of drugs.
The three Arizonan suspects, Victor Rene Larios (29), Jacob Alexander Ruiz (24), and Joseph Anthony Ruiz (27), were stopped by police during a high-risk traffic stop at around 1:30 am on Monday in Los Angeles County. After announcing their arrest, the Garden Grove Police Department announced that the three men were primary suspects in the murder of Thien Hoang Phan (32).
Investigators believe the situation was not the first time Phan had encountered the three men. According to authorities Phan had made multiple illegal marijuana deals with the men in the past, however, this time the deal did not go as smoothly. Phan was found dead in the backyard of a house on the 9600 block of Westminster Ave on Sunday.
The detectives located the men at a Venice Beach hotel, and made the arrest as they were attempting to leave Monday morning. The suspects were then booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder and other similar offenses.
