Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet
WESTMINSTER, Calif.- As authorities continue to investigate and locate three inmates who escaped last Friday, the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to offer up to $150,000 for information that leads to their arrest. This is in addition to $50,000 already offered by federal authorities.
Supervisor Andrew Do speaks to Vietnamese media outlets. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)
The three men, Hossein Nayeri, 37; Jonathan Tieu, 20; and Bac Duong, 43 escaped from Orange County’s Men Central Jail late Friday.
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, alongside sheriff’s deputy Phuong Nguyen held a press conference Tuesday afternoon for Vietnamese media at Viet Bao, located at 14841 Moran St., in Westminster.
“Public safety is our number one priority,” Do said. “For that reason, we voted to increase the reward money significantly to try and apprehend these fugitives. We hope that will encourage people to come forward with information leading to their arrest.”
Authorities held a press conference for Vietnamese press to appeal the community for information leading to the arrest of the three inmates who escaped. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)
The reward will be divided into up to $50,000 increments for information that helps catch either Nayeri, Tieu, or Duong. The federal rewards include $30,0000 offered by the U.S. Marshals Service – $10,000 per inmate – and a flat $20,000 offered by the FBI. All three were all awaiting trials for unrelated violent crimes at the Orange County Men’s Central Jail. They were held in a dormitory with about 65 other men.
“We don’t want people to panic,” Do said. “People should go on living their lives as usual but just be more vigilant of your surroundings. Most likely these escapees are still in hiding but we just want to ask for the community’s help to keep their eyes and ears open.”
Do said their chief priority is to capture the inmates and once they do, there will be a thorough look into preventing further incidences such as these.
“There will be an examination as far as I’m concerned, of all aspects of this,” Do said. “The public rightfully deserves to know, and there’s a big question as to how something like this, involving these people, with their particular backgrounds, can happen here. I have a lot of questions just like you do in the community, and they will be answered.”
Anyone who spots the escapees should call 911, authorities said. Anyone with information about their whereabouts can contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-628-7085. For those with information who wish to remain anonymous, they can call 1-855-847-6227.
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