A pursuit of a wanted felon by Morgan Hill Police around noon Tuesday led to a 40-minute lockdown of Barrett Elementary School.
An officer was making a regular follow-up visit on an unrelated case at the Executive Inn on Condit Road in Morgan Hill when he recognized a suspect who had a warrant for his arrest, according to Sgt. Carson Thomas of the MHPD.
The suspect was identified as Gerardo Betancourt, 37, of Morgan Hill, who was wanted for a violation of parole. Betancourt is described as a Hispanic male, 5-foot-8, 210 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes.
Betancourt jumped into his vehicle and fled the scene with the officer giving chase. He turned northbound onto U.S. 101 before pulling over on behind the Executive Inn. He then exited his vehicle, ran across the highway to the southbound side and hopped the fence, according to Thomas.
“He’s still outstanding,” Thomas said.
As a result of the pursuit, Barrett Elementary School was put on lockdown from 11:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The district put out an auto-call message informing parents prior to the end-of-school pickup.
Anyone with information regarding Betancourt’s whereabouts should call the MHPD non-emergency line at (408) 779-2101 and ask for Det. Broyer.
