January 14, 2015

Surrounded in a Motel 6 bathroom, a career criminal on the most-wanted list failed in his effort to escape through the ceiling, U.S. marshals said, announcing the arrest of Tam Minh Le on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in Ashland, Va.

Philadelphia Police Department had been seeking Le, 43, for his role in a brutal double murder on Aug. 27. Police said Le thought he had covered up his crimes when he and his associates allegedly threw three men they had bound, beaten, and stabbed into the Schuylkill River in August and left them for dead. One of the victims survived the ordeal, however.

“Tam Le’s arrest is a testament to the extraordinary efforts made by our dedicated men and women who worked on this case,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton. “I am greatly appreciative of their hard work and commitment to bringing this dangerous fugitive to justice.”

The fugitive investigation for Le gained significant momentum when U.S. Marshals from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Fugitive Unit developed information leading them to the Ashland area. On Monday, the investigators sent the information to members of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force in Virginia. Deputy U.S. Marshals immediately began canvassing local motels and collecting information in their search for Le.

On Tuesday, Le was spotted entering a room at a Motel 6. Deputies closed in, knocked on the room door and commanded him to surrender. They discovered Le’s wife and their three children in the room. After safely removing Le’s family, marshals found the fugitive locked in the bathroom attempting to escape through the ceiling. After a brief standoff, marshals convinced Le to surrender and placed him in custody at approximately 5:25 p.m.

“Tam Le’s apprehension is both significant and rewarding for the City of Philadelphia,” said David B. Webb, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Thanks to the tenacity of our deputies and their commitment to this case, this violent fugitive will finally answer for his crimes.”

According to U.S. marshals, on Aug. 27, Le, along with members associated with the Vietnamese gang “Born to Kill,” allegedly held two brothers, Viet Huynh and Vu Huynh, hostage at his Southwest Philadelphia home for gambling away $100,000 they were supposed to use to purchase narcotics. In an attempt to free the brothers and buy some time, another man arrived at the home with a partial payment of $40,000.

Le was not satisfied and allegedly decided all three men would pay with their lives. Le and his associates took the men to the 2300 block of Kelly Drive where they allegedly assaulted and stabbed the bound victims, tossing their mutilated bodies in the Schuylkill. While the victim who attempted to settle the debt survived, the Huynh brothers did not. Authorities found their bodies in the river bound with zip ties and riddled with stab wounds.

Le is currently being held at the Pamunkey Regional Jail in Hanover, Va., awaiting extradition.

 

The Steering Committee for Walkable Chadds Ford is continuing its march toward developing a master plan that could have a significant impact on the village area of the township.

During the group’s Jan. 13 meeting held at the Chadds Ford municipal building, Peter Simone, a landscape architect with Simone Collins and consultant for the project, reviewed with members a meeting he and a few others had with representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Of all the ideas brought up for improving the intersection of Route 1 and Creek Road — as well as Route 1’s intersection with Ring Road at the Battlefield Park and with Fairville Road at Chadds Ford Elementary School — Simone said people at PennDOT are saying “no” to putting in roundabouts.

According to Simone, roundabouts, or traffic circles, are considered too expensive and expansive. They’d cost too much and take up too much space, he said.

During a meeting last month, Simone said installing a pedestrian overpass was also out of the question.

However, some things that remain on the table include having pedestrian-activated crossing signals and crosswalks at those previously mentioned intersections, he said. Pedestrians could press a button to signal a light change so they could cross the street.

As discussed in earlier meetings, the idea is to make it safer for pedestrians to cross Route 1, which could be a boon for businesses in the village.

Simone said PennDOT was comfortable considering several traffic calming ideas for Route 1 through the village.

Those ideas include reducing the width of traffic lanes by one or two feet and installing clearly marked shoulders — marked with either paint or made with different materials — and possibly installing sidewalks.

Sidewalks are also being considered for Creek Road from the Chadds Ford Historical Society property down to Hank’s Place at Route 1.

Included as part of that sidewalk concept, Simone also said boardwalks might be installed behind the springhouse at the Historical Society and behind Hank’s.

Other traffic calming ideas include adding trees, banners and artwork along Route 1 in the village to give it a tighter feel that would get motorists to slow down and obey the 45 mph speed limit. Chicanes are also being considered. Chicanes, such as those along Route 52 in Centreville, Del., cause slight lane shifts or curves that force drivers to slow down. They’re referred to as horizontal deflections.

Simone said PennDOT has not yet committed to funding any of the ideas, but the committee is continuing to look for possible sources of funding.

No final decisions have been made on what to ultimately propose. Meetings of the committee so far have been to explore possibilities. Simone said the group hopes to have a master plan to present to the public in May.

The committee will hold two more meetings, Feb. 3 and March 2, before having another public meeting on March 7 when a draft plan will be presented.

That draft will be reviewed and then there will be two more committee meetings before the master plan is presented on May 20.