Several individuals have been arrested over the past four days in connection with the fatal shooting of Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le, OPD announced Tuesday.
The department declined to identify the people it arrested or say where they were taken into custody.
“We are not releasing the names at this time due to the ongoing investigation,” said OPD spokesperson Paul Chambers. Assisting OPD on the case are investigators with the FBI, San Francisco police, San Jose police, and other state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Le was shot while responding to an alleged burglary of a cannabis facility inside 499 Embarcadero early in the morning on Dec. 29.
According to OPD radio recordings and police investigative records reviewed by The Oaklandside, Le and another officer were working undercover when they drove up to the entrance of the cannabis shop at 4:33 in the morning. Multiple people started to exit the building when the officers, according to OPD records, “began to receive gunfire in their direction. The Officers drove off eastbound Embarcadero when they continued to be shot at by the suspects.”
Le was struck in the head and died of his injuries at Highland Hospital.
OPD investigators locked down the crime scene, searched the building and surrounding area, and obtained warrants for a “tower dump,” which includes records of cell phone communications in the area around the time of the shooting. These cell phone records can be used to identify potential suspects. The department also sought out vehicles linked to the crime and officers with OPD, San Jose PD, and San Francisco PD have carried out surveillance of at least one suspect over the past few days in hopes that this individual will lead them to other suspects.
Le, 36, joined OPD in 2020. He was the first officer killed while on duty since 2009 when four officers were shot during a traffic stop and SWAT team operation.
