Crime

ShootingA 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 chaseGilroy 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 thievesFour 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 walletA 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 iPhonesTwo 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 endangermentA 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 biteA 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. 

A San Jose man who was driving on a private road in Aromas and reportedly talking on a cell phone, was struck and killed Thursday afternoon by a train at an unmarked crossing, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Gilroyans have had 210 cars stolen this year, up 60 percent over the last five years in the city, something police attribute to the decrease of prison sentences for property crimes.There were 125 cars stolen in the first three quarters of 2011 and the number has increased steadily, with 154 taken in the first three quarters of 2012; 175 in 2013; 174 in 2014; and 199 in 2015. The 210 stolen so far this year covers one less month than the others because the numbers for the whole quarter weren’t yet compiled.“The interesting thing is you look at AB 109, which gave early releases to prisoners and lenient sentences for property crimes, and you see it coordinates with the increase,” said Gilroy Police Department Sgt. Jason Smith.AB 109, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, dropped the overcrowded state prison population by 25,000 over two years. Nonviolent felons without prior serious or violent offenses were sent to county jail, rather than prison. In 2014, the state passed Proposition 47, which reduced sentences for thefts of property valued at less than $950, and cut sentences for drug use, which Smith suggested put more criminals on the street.“You look at the numbers and there’s been an uptick since then,” he said. “I’m not saying that’s it, but I definitely think it contributes to the numbers.”Gilroy Police say most of the cars aren’t hot-wired, but have keys in them or hidden on the outside of the car. Some have been left running to warm up in cold weather or cool in hot weather.“Car thefts are crimes of opportunity,” Smith said. “People leave their keys in the door; they leave them running or have a spare key attached. Thieves know about those spare keys and can find them quickly.”Most of the cars are older models, with less effective computer security systems. Hondas from the 1990s are the most popular. Thieves can use a key they know how to shave to fit those cars.“It’s harder to steal a car without the key,” Smith said. “You have to know how to override a computer system.”To make matters worse, Gilroy has the 17th highest car insurance rates in the state, according to a study by ValuePenguin.com.The average yearly premium in Gilroy is $1,882, or 13 percent above the $1,661 average price in California. For comparison, San Joseans pay $1,393; Los Angelenos pay $1,624 and San Franciscans pay $1,783.Some tips from GPD to keep your car safe: Know your license number. Have it written down or take a photo of it with your phone camera. Many people forget their license number and can’t get it to police right away to help them find the car.Don’t leave your car running unattended, day or night. Car thefts occur at all hours.Don’t leave windows cracked open and park in well-lighted areas at night.To avoid having items stolen from cars—which is becoming more common in shopping areas like the Outlets—don’t leave goods you’ve bought in plain sight. Thieves are canvassing the area, looking especially at rental cars, where tourists store stuff, breaking windows to make a quick steal and finding valuables such as passports.Install an alarm system.         

Two women who were part of a peaceful prayer vigil say they were harassed, intimidated and lied to, and a California Highway Patrol officer trampled their First Amendment rights, because they inadvertently stood on state property to pray the rosary in the shade.

A Gilroy High School junior suffered life-threatening injuries following a three-car accident involving a big rig Wednesday morning.

On Halloween night, four state parole officers went trick or treating around Gilroy, but it wasn’t candy they wanted. Just the opposite.

On one side of the Gilroy Garlic Farm Travel Center, hundreds of truckers from all over the country fill 150-gallon tanks with diesel at $2.63 a gallon, while locals and travelers pay a bargain $2.53 for regular gas.

 A man who was driving under the influence and killed four Gilroy residents--three of them in high school--was sentenced to 14 years in prison this week. 

The Loma Fire, west of Morgan Hill, in the Santa Cruz Mountains is now 74 percent controlled and has destroyed 4,474 acres. 

A fast-moving fire helped by remote topography, low humidity and hot weather, scorched 1,500 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains along the Santa Cruz-Santa Clara County border 11 miles west of Morgan Hill. It has burned one house and threatens 300 others.