3 Suspects In Fremont Robbery, Rape Spree Arrested

LOS ANGELES, CA — Three Los Angeles County men wanted in connection with a series of robberies and raoes throughout the Bay Area and a murder in San Jose in late September were arrested last week, San Jose police said today.

An Yan, 28, of Baldwin Park, Lin Tao, 27, of Monterey Park and Panpan Huang, 36, of Chino, were arrested at their homes by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department all on suspicion of murder, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault, according to police.

The three have been connected to at least four separate crimes at alleged brothels between Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, detectives with the San Jose, Milpitas, Fremont and South San Francisco police departments discovered.

The men are accused of murdering Xingjian Li of San Gabriel on Sept. 28 just after 8:40 p.m. in the 300 block of Elan Village Lane in San Jose, according to police.

The location was operating as a brothel, police said.

Responding officers found Li was suffering from at least one gunshot. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Prior to the murder, the men allegedly sexually assaulted three women during separate robberies at other brothels in Milpitas, Fremont and South San Francisco.

The first alleged crime occurred on Sept. 27 and was initially reported as a suspicious circumstance in the 500 block of Murphy Ranch Road in Milpitas at 10:26 a.m. There, officers encountered a female victim who
said she had been robbed and sexually assaulted.

A few hours later, another female victim was allegedly robbed and sexually assaulted in the 100 block of McLellan Drive in South San Francisco. That victim, however, didn't report the incident until two days later.

Hours before the Sept. 28 murder in San Jose, police in Fremont responded to a home invasion robbery at a undisclosed location. Three women said they were robbed at gunpoint and one reported being sexually assaulted.

Police today said a follow-up investigation indicated that there could be additional victims of similar crimes. Police are looking for two more suspects in the series of crimes.

The first suspect is described as a Chinese man, age 25 to 30 years old, between 5 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing between 160 and 170 pounds. He had a shaved head and was last seen wearing a
school varsity-type blue jacket with tan sleeves.

The second suspect is also described as a Chinese man, between 35 and 38 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 250 pounds with black, straight medium-length hair. He was last seen wearing black aviator sunglasses, a black T-shirt, black shorts and black tennis shoes.

Police have released surveillance images of the two outstanding suspects in hopes that someone may be able to identify them.

Anyone with information about the suspects or anyone who may have been a victim in a similar crime is encouraged to call San Jose Police Department Detective Sgt. Raul Martinez or Detective Brian Meeker at (408) 277-5283. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call (408) 947-7867.

Bay City News; Photos courtesy of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department