Da Nang police praised for swift arrest of US suspect in jewelry store robbery

Major General Nguyen Huu Hop, director of the Da Nang Department of Public Security, presided over a Thursday ceremony honoring the units that arrested West Dale James, a 29-year-old U.S. passport holder, just over 14 hours after the robbery.

According to the department’s website, Hop awarded VND20 million (US$760) to the Criminal Police Division and another VND10 million ($380) to the Ngu Hanh Son Ward police in recognition of their effective work.

Hop emphasized that the swift verification, investigation, and capture highlighted the Da Nang police force’s determination to combat crimes.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Luong Quoc Nghia, head of the Criminal Police Division, said the robbery took place at P. Jewelry Store on Nui Thanh Street at 7:45 pm on Tuesday.

James stole diamond and gold items worth about VND833 million ($31,600) and injured a security guard before fleeing.

He later changed clothes, returned the rented motorbike, and hid the stolen goods at his apartment in An Hai Ward.

Police tracked him down and arrested him there at 10:25 am on Wednesday.

Investigators said James had carefully planned the crime, selecting the target location, equipping himself with a metal chisel, a hammer, face-covering clothing, a backpack, and renting a motorbike with its license plate removed.

They added that he entered Da Nang on July 1, 2025 as a tourist and was temporarily staying in An Hai.

Authorities said financial hardship had driven him to commit the robbery.