Two men appear in court charged with murder in the shooting of an Oakland police officer at a marijuana business
OAKLAND, California — OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) —
Two men accused of murdering an Oakland police officer who was shot while responding to a burglary report at a marijuana business appeared in court Thursday but did not enter pleas.
Meanwhile, a fourth man was arrested in connection with last week's burglary.
Officer Tuan Le, 36, was shot in the head on December 29 and died in a hospital. He was in plain clothes and driving an unmarked police truck when he and other officers responded to a report of a burglary at a cannabis farm near Jack London Square, where marijuana plants had been stolen in at least three other burglaries that night, police said. court documents were released Thursday.
Mark Sanders, 27, of Tracy, and Allen Starr Brown, 28, of Chico, appeared in an Alameda County courtroom but waived their charges. The murder charge contains special charges that could deprive the men of a chance for parole if they are sentenced to life in prison.
Sanders stood with his back to the courtroom, which was filled with dozens of Oakland police officers showing support for Le and his family, the Bay Area News Group reported.
After the hearing, attorney Annie Beles urged people to resist rushing to judgment, the news station said.
“I would like to remind everyone that he is presumed innocent,” said Beles, who also expressed her “deepest condolences to the family and friends of the fallen officer for his tragic death.”
A third man, Sebron Ray Russell, 30, also waived the arraignment. He is suspected of participating in the burglary.
All three are due back in court on January 18 to enter pleas.
A fourth man, Marquise Cooper, 34, was arrested Wednesday evening on suspicion of burglary after cellphone records placed him at the scene, the Bay Area News Group reported.
He was still in custody and had no further criminal charges as of Thursday evening. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Le was shot after arriving officers saw several people leaving the marijuana business. Prosecutors allege Sanders opened fire from a car Brown was driving.
Officers took their injured colleague to hospital, where he died about four hours later.
Le is the 54th Oakland police officer to die in the line of duty and the first death in nearly 15 years.
District Attorney Pamela Price and Interim Police Chief Darren Allison announced the arrests and charges of Sanders and Russell during a news conference Wednesday evening.
Price said she told Le's wife and mother about the charges and assured them that her office “will do everything within the limits of our legal power to ensure … his life in prison.”
Sanders, Russell and Cooper have criminal records. They pleaded no contest in 2022 to burglarizing a Pittsburg home where marijuana was grown and received 120-day prison sentences, the Bay Area News Group reported.
Additionally, the media outlet said Russell was charged with theft and burglary stemming from a 2019 burglary at an Oakland marijuana business, but the case was dismissed six weeks ago due to lack of evidence.
Sanders also pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter for a 2014 shooting when he was 17 that left an 18-year-old man dead, the news group said.
Brown and Russell were arrested over the weekend and Sanders was arrested in Livermore on Tuesday.
At the news conference, authorities said Le's handcuffs were used to arrest Sanders.