Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail last week, sparking a region-wide manhunt, is in custody after surrendering to police on Friday. The two other inmates remain at large.
1 of 3 Orange County jail escapees surrenders to police
Duong, 43, turned himself in to Santa Ana police after a friend or acquaintance called police. Duong reportedly walked into a business called Auto Electric Builders and told an acquaintance, who worked there, that he wanted to turn himself in. She contacted police, and the place soon was soon surrounded by cops.
Duong is one of three inmates who broke out of the maximum security Orange County Men's Jail last Friday. The three inmates reportedly cut through steel bars, forced their way into a plumbing tunnel and used a "makeshift rope" to rappel down the multistory facility from the roof.
37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu remain at large.
Meanwhile, a jail teacher has been arrested on suspicion of helping with the jailbreak:
The teacher who was arrested as part of the sprawling manhunt for the escapees exchanged handwritten letters with one of the fugitives and formed a bond with the man that was "much closer and much more personal than it should have been," Hallock said.
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, is being held on suspicion of being an accessory to a brazen jailbreak plot that had left police scrambling to find Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu for the last eight days.
Ravaghi will appear in court on Monday, and is currently ineligible for bail, Hallock said.
Police have also been investigating Tieu and Duong's connections to the local Vietnamese community and organized crime. Detectives have reportedly filed dozens of search warrants and arrested several people who either knew the escapees or were members of a street gang that Tieu is affiliated with.
Prior to Duong's capture, the fugitives were believed to be driving a 2008 white GMC Savana utility van that was reported stolen from South Los Angeles the day after they escaped.
The reward for information leading to the fugitives' capture has risen to $200,000.
The FBI is asking anyone who sees the escapees to call 714-628-7085 or dial 911. Additionally, anyone with information about the case can contact the Sheriff's Department at 714-647-7000, or leave an anonymous tip by calling O.C. Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.
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