The district attorney’s office today charged a Gilroy man with
attempted murder, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon against
a peace officer in connection with a home invasion early Sunday
morning and a subsequent confrontation with sheriff’s deputies.
The district attorney’s office today charged a Gilroy man with attempted murder, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer in connection with a home invasion early Sunday morning and a subsequent confrontation with sheriff’s deputies.
Prosecutors charged Robert A. Gidding, 26, with the three counts along with special allegations with each suspected offense for having prior “serious or violent” felony convictions, according to court documents and the California Penal Code. Those special allegations could add a year to a potential sentence if Gidding is convicted of any charges.
Authorities suspect Gidding and another man arrested Sunday, Joaquin McKenzie, also age 26, robbed the two residents of a home off Highway 156 near San Juan Bautista after they tied and bound the victims, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies later located the two men a few miles away on the 2200 block of San Juan-Hollister Road.
There, they arrested McKenzie, but were forced to fire about 15 rounds into a vehicle driving toward two deputies. The driver, whom they believe was Gidding, escaped for about five hours before a Hollister Police Officer recognized him and arrested the suspect while on a suspicious person call.
Potential charges against McKenzie had not been filed as of 3 p.m. today, but District Attorney Candice Hooper said that does not indicate whether there will be related accusations leveled against him as well.
For a story with details on the home invasion and encounter with deputies, go here.
