While three suspects had been charged with murder in the December 29 fatal shooting of Oakland police officer Tuan Le, a fourth figured he could just plead guilty to robbing the cannabis shop and have that be that. But now that suspect is facing murder charges too.
The December 29 shooting and killing of undercover Oakland police officer Tuan Le in an Oakland cannabis dispensary robbery gone bad quickly resulted in the arrest of four suspects. Mark Demetrious Sanders (27) is suspected of actually firing the fatal shots, though accomplices Allen Starr Brown (28) and Marquise Cooper (34) were also charged with murder. A fourth accused accomplice, Sebron Russell (30), was set just plead guilty to a lesser burglary charge, which seems like pretty good lawyering on the part of Russell’s attorney.
That deal is no longer available to him. The Bay Area News Group reports that DA Pamela Price's office is now charging Russell with murder too, and boy is his attorney irate.
“The District Attorney is attempting to thwart Mr. Russell’s rights with this proposed amended complaint,” that attorney David Knutsen wrote in a court filing.
Russell was the only one of the four suspects who’d been offered bail, at $200,000, and he’s been out of custody and showing up for court appearances. But he’s now back in custody at Santa Rita Jail, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be offered bail again.
The News Group notes that it may or may not be related that previously dismissed home invasion robbery and first-degree burglary charges, stemming from a 2019 cannabis-related robbery, are apparently being re-charged against Russell. Those charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence last November, about a month before Officer Le was shot and killed.
It’s fair to speculate that some new evidence has come to light against Russell.
Image: City of Oakland
