GILROY
– A 37-year-old Hollister man was arrested Friday at his
Valleyview Drive home for the attempted murder of fellow Hollister
resident Michael Reese.
Gabriel Lopez is in custody at the county jail in San Jose where
he was charged with attempted murder and possession of
methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia. Lopez allegedly stabbed
Reese in the throat Wednesday, April 16, in Gilroy near The Garlic
Farm at Bolsa Road and Monterey Street.
GILROY – A 37-year-old Hollister man was arrested Friday at his Valleyview Drive home for the attempted murder of fellow Hollister resident Michael Reese.
Gabriel Lopez is in custody at the county jail in San Jose where he was charged with attempted murder and possession of methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia. Lopez allegedly stabbed Reese in the throat Wednesday, April 16, in Gilroy near The Garlic Farm at Bolsa Road and Monterey Street.
On Friday, police said, Reese told them Lopez stabbed him. By 5 p.m., Gilroy and Hollister police were able to locate Lopez in his 1991 Valleyview Drive residence where he was arrested without incident.
During the arrest, Gilroy Police Department investigators recovered a folding pocket knife in Lopez’s possession. It is being held as potential evidence in the case that sent K-9 units and police armed with automatic rifles on a manhunt Wednesday afternoon through a densely populated rest stop and residential area on south Monterey Road.
“A lot of times when someone is arrested things found on the suspect are secured as potential evidence,” Capt. Debbie Moore said. “I don’t know if the weapon has any relevance to this case.”
Lopez made a statement to investigators Friday that he had been with Reese in Gilroy on the day of the stabbing. Lopez said he was under the influence of prescription drugs and methamphetamines on the date of the incident. He did not confess to the stabbing.
“It sounds to me like his defense is going to be that he doesn’t know what happened or can’t remember anything,” Sgt. Jack Robinson said.
Lopez’s arraignment is set for Wednesday, April 23, at 1:30 p.m. in San Martin.
The victim’s injuries hampered the investigation because Reese was unable to communicate for two days. Reese had difficulty speaking and was incoherent from the surgery and medication used in his treatment, police said.
Reese went into emergency surgery at San Jose Medical Center Wednesday and is likely to recover from the stab wounds, one of which missed his jugular by less than an inch, said a paramedic on the scene. Before being flown to San Jose, a bloodied Reese was aided by witnesses and Gilroy paramedics at the Chevron gas station on the corner of Monterey Road and Highway 101.
Police said the two men apparently work together in Hollister for a company that installs and tears down tents for large events. Police were unable to confirm the name of the Hollister-based company Monday because their lead investigator was off-duty. They were also unable to confirm whether Lopez had a criminal past or was involved with gang activity.
“It sounded to me like the two were on a job together when the incident happened,” Det. John Marfia said.
Marfia was the GPD’s original investigator.
Acting on witness accounts that the stabbing suspect fled on foot to the nearby Garlic Farm RV Park, police searched several RVs, all occupied rooms at the Garlic Farm Inn, local public rest rooms and a nearby field blanketed in shoulder-high grass for more than two hours Wednesday.
