Worcester man arrested after Leicester Walmart theft; fentanyl, BB gun, and $3K in prior thefts uncovered

LEICESTER — On Monday, April 28, 2025, at approximately 7:15 p.m., Officer Charles Larson of the Leicester Police Department was dispatched to the Walmart Supercenter on Soojian Drive following a report of a shoplifting incident.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narratives of Officer Larson, and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“While I was enroute [an asset protection manager at Walmart] informed me that it was the same vehicle that had stolen from them on previous incidents, the plate was CT [# redacted],” Officer Larson said. “I observed a similar vehicle parked in the Tractor Supply lot that was running when I was going to Walmart. I did not see the vehicle on Main Street between the station and Walmart. I turned around when I got to the Walmart, and when I got back to Tractor Supply, that vehicle was not parked where I had previously seen it.”

Officer Larson stated that he activated his cruiser’s blue emergency lights and began checking the eastbound direction of Main Street.

“I found the vehicle and stopped it on Main Street in the area of Bottomly Avenue,” Officer Larson said. “I observed that the male passenger started moving around in the vehicle and was handing bags to the driver. I spoke to the operator who I was able to identify from her MA [Massachusetts] driver’s license as Mai [last name redacted]. I then spoke to the passenger who informed me that he did not have any identification on him. I informed the passenger that he was being detained for shoplifting and I had him step out of the car. I observed a pair of headphones in the area of the front passenger seat and I removed them from the vehicle. I placed the passenger in the back of my cruiser. I then advised the passenger of his Miranda warning and I asked him for his name which he provided as Vietnam Dang.”

According to police, Vietnam Dang, 46, is a resident of 57 Lafayette Street in Worcester, MA. The driver of the vehicle, Mai, is Dang’s 68-year-old mother.

At this time, Officer Nicholas Wilson and Sergeant Craig Guertin arrived on scene to assist.

“I went back to the operator and informed her that I would be placing Mr. Dang under arrest for shoplifting,” Officer Larson said. “I asked her if she had any other merchandise and she showed me an iPhone-type watch that she had a receipt for.”

Officer Larson said that while he was speaking with the driver, he observed a Beretta BB pistol still in its packaging on the floor in front of the front passenger seat.

“I picked it up and [Mai] informed me that her son had got it from another store up the street, but not Walmart,” Officer Larson recounted. “I also observed that the plastic where the item hangs on the locking pegs had been cut. I had dispatch contact Tractor Supply but they were not aware of any theft. Mr. Dang denied stealing the gun, but did admit to me that he had stolen the headphones. Mr. Dang further informed me that his mother knew nothing about the theft.”

Officer Larson said he seized the gun because he suspected it was stolen from Tractor Supply.

“I placed Mr. Dang under arrest and placed handcuffs on both of his wrists which were double locked,” Officer Larson said. “Mr. Dang complained multiple times that the handcuffs were too tight. I transported Mr. Dang to the Leicester Walmart so that we could obtain a training receipt for the stolen merchandise.”

Officer Larson said that – once at the Walmart – he brought Dang to an asset protection employee’s office.

“[The asset protection employee] provided Mr. Dang with a lifetime notice of trespass, which Mr. Dang informed me that he would not sign,” Officer Larson said. “I obtained a training receipt for the stolen merchandise today which was $69. [The asset protection employee] informed me that he had evidence of Mr. Dang stealing 10 times at his store and that the total amount stolen was over three thousand dollars. In some of the cases Dang used a debit card that had a name attached as Mai [his mother’s name]. Mr. Dang informed me that his mother did not know he was using her card.”

Officer Larson than transported Dang to the Leicester Police Department for booking.

“I searched Mr. Dang and found two plastic vials in his front right watch pocket,” Officer Larson said. “One vial contained a white powder that appeared to be cocaine. The second vial has a white rock that appeared to be crack cocaine. Mr. Dang informed me that the vials contained fentanyl. I submitted the drugs for testing. Bail Clerk Chris Hart set bail at personal recognizance. Mr. Dang was released to his mother a short time later.”

Dang was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court on April 29, 2025. Following his arraignment, he was released on personal recognizance. His next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for June 12, 2025.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in April, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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