OAKLAND — A Chico man has been charged with murder for his alleged role in the killing of Oakland police Officer Tuan Le on Dec. 29.
Allen Starr Brown, 28, of Chico and Mark Demetrious Sanders, 27, of Stockton made their first court appearances in Alameda County on Thursday, the same day prosecutors announced the murder charges.
Sanders and Brown stood silently in red jail outfits while waiving a formal arraignment on murder charges. In the court gallery, dozens of law enforcement officers surrounded Le’s mother and looked on in silence in a show of support for the first Oakland police officer killed in the line of duty since 2009.
Authorities say Sanders opened fire at Le from a vehicle driven by Brown after Le and other undercover officers responded to a burglary call at marijuana grow house at the corner of Embarcadero and 5th Avenue.
The deadly encounter happened after at least three burglaries at the business that night, during which a group of people removed marijuana plants from the building and stashed them in vehicles waiting outside, according to court documents released Thursday.
Both Sanders and Brown were held without bail at Santa Rita Jail. They are due back in court Jan. 18 to enter pleas.
