LOS ANGELES, Posted 6:39 p.m. May 21, 1997 -- Seven Asian gang members were indicted Wednesday for murder and attempted murder, mostly of rival gang members in San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, police said.
A Los Angeles County grand jury found that the gang members carried out the attacks by ambush and drive-by shootings.
"The crimes committed by this group were primarily directed towards rival Asian gang members, but also included non-gang members - innocent victims whom the gang merely perceived to be rivals due to their appearance," said a police statement.
The Asian Boyz gang has more than 300 members has ties in Northern California, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida, the statement said.
The indictment comes more than a year after the police department formed a task force to investigate a series of murders. That led police to connect the gang members to other crimes, including car theft, home robberies and extortion, primarily against the Southeast Asian community.
The defendants are identified as " Bunthoeun Roeung, 20; David Evangalista, 22; Roatha Buth, 24; Ky Ngo, 21; Son Bui, 20; Sothi Menh, 22; and Marvin Mercado, 23. The case against a juvenile, Kimom Nuth, age not available, will be handled by juvenile court.
Five of the men are in custody and two, Menh and Mercado, are fugitives, police said.
The indictment cites five murders or attempted murders believed to have been carried out by the gang dating back to April 1995. Police were investigating whether the gang was responsible for other shootings.
Copyright 1997, The Associated Press
Grand Jury Indicts Asian Gang Members