A Gwinnett County man, Cang Thanh Luu, 48, has been sentenced to prison after a plea agreement in which he admitted to second-degree arson and property damage. He now faces deportation after serving his sentence. Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis handed down a five-year sentence on August 26, with three years to be served in prison followed by probation. Luu, a Vietnamese national, has also been ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $382,589, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
According to court testimony, Luu confessed to deliberately setting ablaze Nick’s Nails on Highway 92 in January 2021; the incident left the salon and neighboring businesses suffering extensive damage necessitating costly repairs, however, it could have indeed resulted in more dire consequences if not for the swift response of emergency services, in an event initially characterized by firefighters detecting a strong gasoline smell leading investigators to uncover multiple starting points for the fire, specific burn patterns, and discarded gloves connecting Luu to the crime as seen in 11Alive coverage.
The district attorney’s office pieced together Luu’s actions through surveillance footage from nearby businesses, which captured him purchasing non-latex gloves and carrying a red gas can into the salon just before the fire alarm blared, with the footage later showing his silver Toyota Camry at the strip mall where the salon is situated, establishing a clear timeline and evidence for Luu’s involvement in the arson…