Gilroy police issue warrant for Carlsbad man
Gilroy – Police issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of William Samuel Filice, 45, a Carlsbad man accused of extortion and making terrorist threats.
On Sunday, Filice phoned his grandmother, threatening to kill her, his mother, his father, and other family members living in the Gilroy area. He also called the Gilroy police department, threatening to kill the dispatcher and to commit “suicide by cop.”
“It’s a common phrase, coined by people who want the police to kill them,” explained Sgt. Robert Locke-Paddon. “Basically, he wants to force a lethal encounter with police, for instance, by drawing a weapon at an officer.”
In the course of three days, Filice has phoned the GPD nine times, each time threatening to kill himself or the dispatcher. He also suggested that would come to Gilroy. On Monday, police issued a critical reach BOL (Be on the Lookout) flyer to 300 law-enforcement agencies in the counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Benito and Santa Cruz, as well as areas along highways leading from Los Angeles to Gilroy, such as U.S. 101 and Interstate 5.
Filice owns and drives a 1995 white BMW, plate number 4JRZ174. Locke-Paddon advised anyone who sees Filice or his vehicle not to approach it, but to phone 911.
“We are treating him as possibly armed,” he said. Filice claims he has access to an assault rifle, which is illegal under California’s assault weapons ban.
He has an extensive history with the GPD over the past four months, for making similar threats. In the past, said Locke-Paddon, he has also been taken into custody for mental evaluation in Carlsbad, where he is a transient.
