Shooting
A masked bandit with a shotgun shot a 23-year-old man who was parked in a car with a woman at Uvas and 10th Street Friday at 8:15 p.m., police said.
The thief approached the car and robbed the couple and then shot the man in the leg. Police are investigating and hoping for leads from the public.
Quick response from Gilroy Police officers who used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, saved the man’s life.
“It appears to be a random crime, since we haven’t had anything similar,” said Sgt. Jason Smith. The victim is expected to survive. The only description they have of the robber is that he was in dark clothes and wore a dark mask.
Anyone with information is requested to contact Det. Eric Cryar at (408) 846-0335.
High speed chase
Gilroy Police chased a driver at speeds of up to 100 mph for three miles Saturday and ended up arresting three people.
The pursuit started at 8:41 p.m. when an officer spotted a 2001 Honda Accord driving recklessly at First and Wren streets. When he turned on his lights and siren, the car refused to stop.
Officers gave chase and finally caught the driver at Cohansey and Monterey Road, when he abandoned the car and ran into a field. They arrested Jeremy Valdez, 26, of Gilroy on suspicion of felony evading, wanton disregard for safety, resisting arrest and driving without a license.
Good Samaritans capture suspected thieves
Four Good Samaritans who witnessed a group of five suspected thieves running out with items from the Michael Kors store at the Outlets chased them down and were attacked. But it ended well, mostly.
The Samaritans, in a Ford F-150, followed the suspected thieves who were in a 2016 Honda Accord, after they saw them running and getting into a car Nov. 2 at 11:24 a.m. according to Gilroy Police.
The suspects drove into a dead-end court. The Samaritans stopped their truck in the center divide, intending to call police and get help, when the suspects rammed the truck with their car, triggering the airbags.
The suspects ran into a field carrying $4,000 of stolen goods and the Samaritans gave chase catching them and holding them until police arrived.
Two of the suspects were adults and three were juveniles. One of the Samaritans and two of the suspects were injured when the car was rammed. All were arrested. They included Alejandro Jacuinde, 18 and David Tomas Puentes, 18.
Police Capt. Kurt Svardal praised the Samaritans—“as a citizen”— for following them with the intention of letting police do their job, but warned—as a police officer—that taking action against suspected criminals is dangerous.
“They don’t know the crooks,” he said. “They could be armed. You don’t want to have people injured. Our first priority is safety.”
Stolen wallet
A thief stole a wallet from a distracted woman shopping at the Home Goods store on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. and within minutes used her credit card to buy $2,700 of electronic equipment at Best Buy.
Stolen iPhones
Two suspects distracted a clerk at Walmart while a third broke into a display case and stole eight iPhones worth around $8,000 at 8:45 p.m. Nov. 4. They fled in a rented black Jeep SUV.
Child endangerment
A woman who was on probation for child endangerment was arrested for driving under the influence at 10:47 p.m. Nov. 5. Anita Acevedo, 22, had a passenger and her 1-year-old son in the car when she was stopped at First and Monterey streets. She blew a 0.2 on a field sobriety test, more than twice the legal limit of .08.
Dog bite
A woman walking her small dog in the alley between Church and Eigleberry streets was bitten by a Rottweiler at 10 p.m. Nov. 5. When she saw the Rottweiler, the woman picked up her dog and the Rottweiler bit her arm.
