After 13 long years, cold case detectives have arrested a suspect in the murder of a San Diego teenager who was fatally shot while driving.
According to the San Diego Police Department, suspect Phong Thanh Huynh, 36, was arrested in Helena, Mont., Wednesday in connection with the 2000 murder of 16-year-old Nghia Tan Pham.
On February 13, 2000, Pham was fatally shot while driving southbound on Interstate 15 between State Route 163 and State Route 52. Medics transported Pham to a hospital, but the teen died a short time later.
Her suspected killer has never been captured, until now.
Over the years, officials say homicide detectives have investigated the case diligently. Based on information learned during their investigation, detectives identified Huynh as the suspect and an arrest warrant was issued by the Cold Case Unit of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
On Wednesday afternoon, officials from the Helena Police Department in Montana along with U.S. Marshals arrested Huynh without incident at his job at a nail salon in Helena.
He is currently in custody at the Lewis and Clark Detention Center in Montana, awaiting extradition to San Diego, officials said.
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The SDPD said several agencies assisted in Huynh's arrest, including US Marshals and the Montana-based Helena Police Department and Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Department.
