Crime

This week, Gilroy police responded to thefts, burglaries, weapons violations and drug-related crimes. Here's a few incidents:

Police throughout Santa Clara County arrested 57 motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the first weekend of the annual Labor Day DUI crackdown campaign, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. The arrests were made from just after midnight Friday through midnight Sunday, authorities said. The crackdown effort, known as “Avoid the 13,” included a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint at the intersection of Dunne Avenue and Joleen Way in Morgan Hill, where officers arrested one DUI suspect, according to Morgan Hill police. The Gilroy Police Department will conduct a similar checkpoint in Gilroy Friday night, also as part of the annual effort by local law enforcement to keep impaired drivers off the roads during one of the summer’s busiest holiday periods, according to police.Residents can receive real-time updates on checkpoint activities and DUI arrests by following the Sheriff’s Office on Twitter at @SCCOSHERIFF, according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup. Funding for the Avoid the 13 campaign, which includes saturation patrols as well as checkpoint activities, is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, authorities said. The summer campaign will continue through midnight Monday, Sept. 2, according to the press release. 

The Gilroy Police Department responded to a variety of crimes in the last week or so, including assault with a deadly weapon, unlawfully causing a fire, possession of hypodermic needles or syringes and being drunk in public. Arrests are recorded from the GPD’s blotter dating Aug. 8 through Aug. 15.

The Gilroy Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/drivers license checkpoint Friday at an undisclosed location within city limits between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Thanks to the help of watchful community members, Gilroy Police have arrested 34-year-old Thomas Vasquez for allegedly being a felon in possession of ammunition; possession of methamphetamine; and parole violation; according to the GPD.

This week in crime, Gilroy Police responded to reports of exposed genitalia, burglaries, assaults and more. Here’s a few interesting events. 

The naked man who allegedly was carrying his infant son and caused a chaotic scene Aug. 2 at the Longhouse Restaurant on Monterey Street in Gilroy has died.

DUI

Theft

Authorities are looking for three men who led police on a chase that reached 120 mph on the U.S. 101 after allegedly attempting to burglarize a Morgan Hill home. Morgan Hill police responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a home on the 2000 block of Pinto Court Wednesday night, according to a press release from MHPD. Three Hispanic men were seen jumping a fence surrounding the backyard of a home on the court, and breaking a window out of that home to make entry, police said. A resident was at home upstairs during the break-in. The suspects fled before stealing any property, police said. Police saw the suspects fleeing the scene and chased after them, the press release said. The suspects, traveling in a 1999 Audi Station Wagon, were pursued northbound on U.S. 101, at speeds up to 120 mph. Police called off the pursuit due to public safety concerns when the vehicle and patrol cars reached heavy traffic, police said. The suspects continued to drive recklessly on the shoulder of the freeway at high speeds, evading officers, according to police. The suspicious vehicle was registered out of Oakland, and the registered owner of the vehicle told police he sold the car several months ago, police said. Police are now seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect vehicle, which has a license plate of 4GTT297, authorities said. The vehicle has damage to the right quarter panel and does not have tinted windows. Police also reported Thursday they have responded to a series of recent residential burglaries that happened in quick succession. Four of these burglaries happened during daylight hours Wednesday, and officers think the suspects involved are from different areas from Morgan Hill to Oakland and Sacramento. Detectives have also noticed a pattern in the daytime burglaries, in which the suspects are ringing the doorbell or knocking on doors before forcing entry into the home, police said. “Police encourage people who are not expecting guests to call police if they suspect foul play, and make noise to ward off burglars,” the press release said. “Also, be vigilant and keep reporting suspicious persons, cars and activity.” Anyone with information about these crimes can contact Morgan Hill police at (408) 779-2101, or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.