Jul 19, 2008

Millbrae shooting suspect in custody

Bay Area News Group

The suspect in the murder of a 28-year-old Millbrae man, whose body was found last week in a parked car in Burlingame, has been apprehended in Redding, police officials announced Friday.

Teyseer "Terry" Zaid Najdawi was taken into custody Thursday by a Redding SWAT team without incident, according to a statement by Millbrae police Cmdr. Marc Farber. Najdawi was transported back to the Bay Area and booked for murder at the San Mateo County jail.

Millbrae police issued a warrant for Najdawi's arrest on Sunday, three days after the body of Jack Chu was found in a white vehicle near the corner of Chula Vista and Sanchez avenues in Burlingame.

Investigators believe Chu died as a result of an incident two days earlier, when Millbrae police responded to a report of gunshots in the area of Lincoln Circle. Investigators arrived to find broken glass and blood on the street. A witness told police he saw a man being shoved into a white vehicle before it sped off.

Police served a search warrant last week at a Burlingame home, where they located items of "evidentiary value," according to Inspector Lou Landini. Although Najdawi was not a resident of the home, he was known to stay there on occasion, police said.

Chu and Najdawi were well-acquainted, according to police. Najdawi appeared to split his time between Burlingame and Reno, where he was arrested last year on a weapons charge, police said.

Investigators were still working earlier this week to establish a motive for the alleged murder. Millbrae police officials did not return calls Friday seeking comment.