Long Ma recounts his 5-day ordeal when he was kidnapped by three inmates who escaped from the Santa Ana Central Men’s Prison in 2016. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

From an abrupt kidnapping at gunpoint to forced pictures on the beach to motel room brawls, an independent taxi driver has testified this week that he endured a week of terror in 2016 while being held captive by three inmates who attempted a massive Manhunt for a daring escape to escape from an Orange County jail.

Long Ma — the Garden Grove driver who says he’s become an unwitting driver for three increasingly fractious fugitives — took a stand this week in the jailbreak trial of Hossein Nayeri, the alleged mastermind of the headline-grabbing escape from the Central Jail Complex Santa Ana.

Ma’s testimony — which took place in an Orange County Superior Courtroom less than a block from the scene of the prison break — came after Nayeri’s defense attorneys argued early in the trial that Ma was not the victim of a kidnapping but someone who had consented to be around to get the fugitives to safety for a big cash payout. Nayeri has admitted to escaping prison but has denied kidnapping Ma or being involved in any related auto theft.

The taxi driver – who testified through a Vietnamese-speaking interpreter – flatly denied willingly spending a week with Nayeri and the other refugees – Bac Tien Duong and Jonathan Tieu – and described the defense allegations as “absolutely fabricated”.

Nayeri, Duong and Tieu allegedly spent months cutting half-inch steel bars to gain access to the installation tunnels at the Central Men’s Prison. On January 22, 2016, the three men allegedly climbed rungs in the tunnels to get to the roof of the prison, where they abseiled five stories down the side of the building using a makeshift rope made of bed sheets. A friend of Duong’s said he picked up the fugitives not far from the prison and drove them to a house in Westminster.

Ma – who advertised his independent, unlicensed taxi service on the pages of local Vietnamese-language newspapers – received a call from one of the men and picked her up outside a restaurant on McFadden Avenue. Ma said he first drove them to a Walmart in Rosemead before they changed their minds and asked to go to a Target. After waiting nearly two hours for Nayeri to shop at the store, Ma said he followed the men’s directions to a parking lot next to a then-closed cafe and laundromat.

After a quiet chat with Nayeri, Ma said Duong told him the men needed his car.

“I said my car is for work,” Ma said. “And he pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.”

Ma said he was placed in the back seat of his car as the men drove to the first of a row of motel rooms, where they checked in using his ID and name.

“He took everything, my phone, my money. I wasn’t allowed to say anything to anyone,” Ma said. “I knew I was taken. I was very afraid.”

“I couldn’t sleep at all all night,” Ma added. “Because I was scared.”

The prison break quickly became national news as the manhunt for the escaped inmates escalated. Nayeri’s escape – who at the time was awaiting trial for kidnapping and brutally torturing a marijuana dispensary owner – was particularly alarming to authorities, given that he had fled to his native Iran in the past to avoid legal exposure .

Ma said he learned who the men were and why they were on the run after watching a televised press conference by an Orange County sheriff after his first night at the motel.

“Bac called me, pointed to the TV and said, ‘This is us, this is us.’ I saw the three guys clearly,” Ma said. “When they pointed the gun at me, I already knew what kind of people they were.”

After several days and nights in motels in the Rosemead area — during which time prosecutors allege the fugitives stole a van in Los Angeles — the three men and Ma drove to Northern California in two vehicles, Ma and the stolen van. Before they left, Ma said he convinced Duong to drive him back to his house to get medicine, a trip he had hoped would give him an opportunity to escape. Instead, Ma testified, Duong never left his side and his attempt to leave a message for roommates explaining his plight was unsuccessful.

At some point during their stay in the Bay Area, Ma said, Nayeri and Tieu took him to the beach. Photos of a smiling Ma standing next to Tieu on a pier have been cited by the defense as evidence Ma was a willing participant in their escape, but the driver said he had no choice but to appear cheerful.

“To be honest, I was forced to do it,” Ma testified. “I never felt like taking pictures with these people.”

Meanwhile, Ma testified, the bonds between the refugees seemed to be crumbling as the days went by. Ma said he was afraid of trying to escape because he thought he would be “shot in the head.”

“They really agreed for the first few days,” Ma said. “Then three or four days later, they were kind of cool, distant from each other.”

Disputes between Nayeri and Duong — which prosecutors say were about whether or not to kill Ma — eventually led to a fight between the two men in a motel room. Ma described how she helped clean up a bloody Duong after the altercation, and when Nayeri and Tieu left Ma and Duong alone at the motel the next day, the two men decided to return to Southern California.

Duong asked Ma to help him report to authorities, the driver said. As the only one of the refugees who spoke fluent Vietnamese, Duong had apparently bonded with Ma.

“Bac asked me if he could be my adoptive son,” Ma described part of their conversation on the way back to Orange County.

“Did you say something in reply?” asked Assistant District Attorney David McMurrin.

“Yes, I agreed,” Ma replied

Duong turned himself in to authorities, while Nayeri and Tieu were found in San Francisco a day later, ending the week-long manhunt.

When questioned directly by the prosecutor, Ma occasionally expressed anger at being asked to provide a step-by-step description of what happened to him. Nayeri watched the testimony dispassionately, often glancing down to take notes.

When Nayeri’s attorney, Michael Goldfeder, took over the questioning, Ma quickly became frustrated and angry, often challenging or refusing to answer the defense attorney’s questions.

Ma was particularly upset by questions about his relationship with an ex-wife, which apparently ended with him being accused of sexually harassing her and posting nude photos of her online. During prosecution questioning on Tuesday, Ma had denied his ex-wife’s allegations but declined to address them when defense attorneys brought them up on Wednesday, saying he “don’t remember.”

“Yesterday I said that my memory is very good. But today I forgot everything,” Ma said to Goldfeder. “It has nothing to do with the fact that I was kidnapped. I do not remember. ask no more.”

Orange County Superior Court Justice Larry Yellin repeatedly pardoned the jury to explain to Ma that he had no choice but to answer the attorneys’ questions whether he agreed with them or not.

“I would like to ask you to trust me that, as a judge in this case, I know how court proceedings work,” Yellin once told Ma.

Despite the judge’s warnings, Ma continued to complain when defense attorneys questioned him about alleged discrepancies between his current statement and his comments in police interrogations and previous statements. These alleged discrepancies included descriptions of a weapon the fugitives had and the exact actions of Nayeri, Duong, and Tieu.

“Not only do I refuse to answer your question, but I also beg you not to ask me anything further,” Ma told the defense attorney during a particularly combative conversation.

Duong – whom Ma credited with saving his life – has already been convicted for his role in the escape and kidnapping. Tieu is tried separately.

Nayeri – who since the escape has been convicted of kidnapping and torturing the owner of the marijuana dispensary that first landed him in jail – is already serving two consecutive life sentences regardless of the outcome of the prison escape trial.

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The San Francisco 49ers got the draft season at warp speed after entering into a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins that saw them rise to 3rd place overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. That move from # 12 to # 3 required a treasure trove of Niners picks (three top classics, to be precise) and now prepares the franchise to pick a quarterback to lead them for the foreseeable future. While one would think that a deal of this magnitude would make current starter Jimmy Garoppolo available through the trade, the 49ers insist they keep him on board for 2021 and try to fight as they develop who they go through April -Select draft.

During a press conference on Monday, 49ers GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about this seismic trade and found that both of them contacted Garoppolo to let him know about the team’s plans.

“Obviously nobody wants to hear that,” Shanahan said of his conversation with Garoppolo as he wrapped him up in the deal. “I know he wasn’t as excited as you’d expect. Jimmy did it great, as he always has. We were very direct and I told him how we felt. That doesn’t change anything on his circumstances at the moment. He’s still coming here trying to run this team. I told him how excited I was that the free agency was doing a lot better than expected when we signed a lot more of our own players When we thought we have a really good team coming back here. We still plan for him to lead us and bring us with him as far as possible. ”

Lynch added that Garoppolo “is still part of our plans,” suggesting that trading is not their primary intent right now.

“We don’t think these two things have to be mutually exclusive,” said Lynch, who noted that just because they add a young quarterback doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll move Garoppolo. “The opportunity to act and possibly find a man who can be a big part of our future and to keep Jimmy, who we are very keen on and for whom some positive things are happening this off-season, is kind of a plan, too that we came to. ”

For those who may not entirely agree with the reason the 49ers are taking this step when they have a quarterback in Garoppolo that they publicly decide, that they still believe in, its durability matters. If Garoppolo is healthy, he has demonstrated the ability to lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl. However, playing 16 games on the field is a rarity for him as he has only made it once in his career. Most of the time, Garoppolo’s season is more similar to 2020, when he only played six games before being sidelined for the year due to injury. While Garoppolo is talented, the 49ers realized on Monday that they needed more stability in position.

“”[Garoppolo’s] I also have a lot of untapped potential, “Shanahan said.” This is a difficult thing for us too. We don’t give up on Jimmy because he can’t play or anything. Jimmy can play. We also like the person too. We also know that in a year we can’t go through what has happened in two of the last three years. This is something we had to protect the organization with, and there are many ways to do it, but it wasn’t just a tough decision that this guy is planning and this guy can’t play. “

While Garoppolo may be the starter of the 49ers for 2021, it is clear that the organization will be moving in a new direction in the near future, starting with whoever they pick in 3rd place overall. With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson suspected # 1 and # 2, Alabama’s Mac Jones, Justin Fields of Ohio, and Trey Lance of North Dakota remain as possible options for San Francisco while they are delve deeper into their search for a makeover to the franchise.

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So much for Patrick Peterson, who plays security for the Vikings.

There has been much speculation that the eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback would potentially take that seat in his eleventh season after the departure of free agent Anthony Harris. Peterson had said on a podcast before resigning himself to the Vikings last week that he would be open to a change of position and LeRoy Butler, former Green Bay security officer, said Peterson was “a fantastic security”.

But on Monday, after Peterson signed a one-year contract worth up to $ 10 million, he put an end to the speculation.

“I feel like I’m still in a good position to play cornerback, so I know I can still play at a high level,” said Peterson, who will turn 31 in July. “Well, my position will be cornerback for sure.”

The Vikings will continue their quest to replace Harris, who signed a $ 5 million one-year deal with Philadelphia last week after six seasons in Minnesota. He’s been the starter for the past two and a half years alongside five-time Pro Bowl selection Harrison Smith.

Besides Smith, Josh Metellus, who only played 16 defensive snaps as a rookie last year, Luther Kirk and Myles Dorn are the only safeguards on Minnesota’s squad. Kirk was on the training team as an unoccupied rookie in 2020 and was active for one game but did not play. Dorn spent the entire season as an unoccupied rookie in the injured reserve.

There are still plenty of good options for security in the free hand. Pro Football Focus released a list of the 100 best free agents still available at the time on Saturday and 11 collateral was included.

“It’s a traffic jam out there,” said an NFL source close to the process.

Jaquiski Tratt, ranked 39th overall by Pro Football Focus, agreed to sign again with San Francisco on Monday. But those still available are Kareem Jackson (No. 10), Xavier Woods (No. 12), Malik Hooker (No. 19), Tashaun Gipson (No. 45), Duron Harmon (No. 47), Tre Boston (No. 47) 50), Earl Thomas (No. 69), Bradley McDougal (No. 72), Ricardo Allen (No. 83) and Kenny Vaccaro (No. 87).

Even if the Vikings don’t get Peterson to safety to start the season, former Vikings star cornerback Carl Lee said it was a move that might make sense at some point.

“He’s smart enough about the game,” said Lee. “It wouldn’t be a bad move and it would definitely allow him to play an extra couple of years. But he’s a great soccer player who has so much knowledge no matter where he’s played. ”

BARR’S RESTRUCTURE

The Vikings have created an additional $ 5.6 million in salary caps in connection with Anthony Barr’s contract renewal.

The linebacker agreed to take a $ 2.9 million wage cut last week, and it will continue to do so. But instead of paying Barr a base salary of $ 9.4 million in 2021, he received a base of $ 1 million and a signing bonus of $ 8.4 million.

Although the new deal allows Barr to become a free agent after the 2021 season, it had two ineffective years on his contract. Only $ 2.8 million of his signing bonus will count towards the cap in 2021, with the rest going to the books later. OvertheCap.com website now has Barr’s 2021 cap of $ 6.107 million and its 2022 cap of $ 9.89 million, as all of the money left over would continue to flow this year due to the contract termination .

Taking into account Barr’s restructuring, the Vikings were listed on Monday by OvertheCap.com at $ 10,314,209 below the cap. That didn’t include wide receiver Chad Beebe agreeing to a one-year contract for $ 920,000 that will have minimal impact on the cap, and linebacker Nick Vigil with a cap of $ 1.734 million.

However, a source said the Vikings postponed the official signing of the vigil on Monday due to “team business”. Vigil agreed to the terms on March 15, and Minnesota announced two days later that it had agreed to the terms pending physical agreement.

The source said Vigil could sign later this week or maybe not for several weeks. The source saw no chance he wouldn’t join the team.

“He’s a Viking,” said the source.

Vigil is expected to sign a one-year contract that, with incentives, could be worth up to $ 2.284 million. Until it is officially signed, the Vikings will retain a $ 1.074 million cap spot as Vigil’s $ 1.734 million figure would oust a player in the top 51 salaries and earn $ 660,000.

Also on Monday, free agent linebacker Hardy Nickerson signed a one-year deal with Houston after playing for Minnesota last season. He was not seen as a candidate for re-signature.

PETERSON AND FITZGERALD

Peterson spoke fervently about being Larry Fitzgerald’s teammate with Arizona for the past 10 years.

“Larry is just an incredible professional,” said Peterson of the Minneapolis-born American who isn’t sure whether to play an 18th season. “I tell him all the time, I just thank him for helping me understand how to be a professional. ”

Now that Peterson is a seasoned veteran, he plans to mentor Minnesota’s many young players.

Peterson said he knows Viking recipient Justin Jefferson, who rookie the Pro Bowl last season since he was “10 or 11 years old”. Jefferson played at LSU a decade after Peterson’s stint with the Tigers and was a teammate of Jefferson’s brother Jordan.

Peterson also said the Minnesota recipient, Adam Thielen, is his “golf buddy”.

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