Police arrested a man in the 1400 block of Ousley Drive in
Gilroy Tuesday after he fired a gun at officers, according to the
Gilroy Police Department. Full article
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Police arrested a man Tuesday in Gilroy after he fired a gun at officers, prompting a lockdown of two local schools, according to the Gilroy Police Department.
Gilroy resident Huriel Escalante, 36, was arrested on three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, according to the GPD.
GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said police received a 911 call at 11:22 a.m. of a “distraught” man with a handgun inside a house in the 1400 block of Ousley Drive. Family members in the home were told to leave for safety reasons, and police asked neighbors to evacuate about 10 minutes after arriving at the scene. The street was closed between Muir Drive and Solis Drive.
Police said after they arrived, Escalante walked into the home’s back yard and discharged a round from the handgun. Later, Escalante walked out the home’s front door and fired at officers, Gallacinao said.
Officers were unable to safely return fire, according to the GPD.
The man eventually surrendered to police unarmed at about 12:30 p.m. An investigation is ongoing, Gallacinao said.
No injuries were reported, according to Gallacinao.
The incident caused two nearby schools – Luigi Aprea Elementary School and Pacific West Christian Academy – to be locked down.
Pacific West Superintendent Donna Garcia said police advised the school at 12:15 p.m. to go into “Code Blue,” a mode where all students return to their classrooms, all doors are locked and attendance is taken to ensure all students are accounted for.
“It was a little bit of a surprise, but we are proud to say everyone followed our crisis management plan,” Garcia said.
The lockdown was lifted at 12:50 p.m., she said. The school has about 250 students ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Lisa Velasco, an office clerk at Luigi Aprea, said students were sent home with notes explaining the school had be placed on lockdown earlier in the day. She said parents received automated calls explaining the incident as well.
“Parents will receive an automated call on their phone, explaining what happened or as much as we know,” she said. “Even now we don’t know exactly what happened.”
She said students and staff had prepared for lockdown situations in the past.
“We do practice these drills,” Velasco said. “Today was a real one.”
Staff writer Blair Tellers contributed to this story.