Six young men, Bui Van Chau, Pham Van Tu, Pham Nguyen Vy Thuan, Ly Xuan Vien, Tran Duc Khanh, and Pham Hong Nam, aged 18-19, were arrested by the Quang Ngai Provincial Police Criminal Investigation Department on the evening of 5/3 for murder.

Suspects at the police station. Photo: Quang Ngai Police

According to the investigation, at 0h on 4/3, following a dispute with staff at a popular restaurant in Ngoc Bao Vien urban area, Chau, Tu, and Thuan gathered three accomplices to seek revenge. The group armed themselves with four machetes and one three-pronged spear, then rode motorbikes to find someone to attack.

The group of six young men on motorbikes searching for rivals at 0h on 4/3. Photo: Security camera

Unable to find their initial targets, the group encountered two 17-year-old teenagers from Tu Nghia commune on Le Loi street. Chau honked at them, leading to a spontaneous conflict despite no prior acquaintance.

According to the investigation, Tu drove the motorbike carrying Chau and Nam, forcing the teenagers' bike off the road. They then used a machete to strike one teenager in the head, causing one person to fall. The other teenager was injured. After the attack, Chau's group threw the weapons into the Tra Khuc River and other locations.

Police using a specialized canoe to search for weapons discarded by Chau's group in the Tra Khuc River. Photo: Quang Ngai Police

The Criminal Investigation Department, in coordination with the Traffic Police Department and the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police, tracked the suspects and recovered the weapons from the river and among the reeds on the sandbanks to investigate the case.

The Tra Khuc River is the largest river flowing through the former center of Quang Ngai city. Its water level is not high during the dry season, and it features numerous sandbanks, islets, and reeds.

Pham Linh