A Gilroy resident and suspected gang member was arrested by
police and is being held on $500,000 bail after a pursuit during
which a Gilroy officer was injured, less than a month after the
same man eluded police in a similar situation in Morgan Hill.
Gilroy – A Gilroy resident and suspected gang member was arrested by police and is being held on $500,000 bail after a pursuit during which a Gilroy officer was injured, less than a month after the same man eluded police in a similar situation in Morgan Hill.
Efren Fregoso, 36, was recently arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of resisting arrest, a felony charge because an officer was seriously injured, according to Gilroy police Sgt. Jim Gillio.
During the pursuit, an officer fell, injuring his knee, but Fregoso was eventually captured, Gillio said.
In the earlier Morgan Hill incident, Fregoso was driving a BMW in Morgan Hill the morning of June 6 when he ran a red light in the area of Condit Road and East Dunne Avenue, police said. Morgan Hill police officer Joe Burdick attempted to pull Fregoso over, but after pulling into the parking lot of the McDonald’s restaurant on Condit Road, the BMW sped out without stopping, heading northbound on U.S. 101.
Once on the highway, Fregoso drove dangerously, Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing said, weaving in and out of traffic, at times passing vehicles on the shoulder of the road, reaching speeds in excess of 120mph.
Because of the potential of danger to other drivers, Swing said, Burdick ended the pursuit. Fregoso exited the highway at Cochrane Road, turning west on Cochrane. Apparently, he had difficulty making the turn and smashed the BMW into a traffic signal, knocking it into the roadway.
Continuing on Cochrane Road, Fregoso then turned onto Sutter Boulevard and pulled into the parking lot of North Coast Medical, Inc. He then abandoned the badly damaged BMW. Morgan Hill police dispatchers received information that he was fleeing the area on foot.
Although officers responded to the area, they were unable to locate the suspect.
Swing said Thursday that officers did locate a witness who saw Fregoso getting out of the BMW when he abandoned it.
“His bail was enhanced to $500,000, and this may even put him under the three strikes consideration,” he added.
