Sheriff’s deputies and police surrounded and arrested two wanted violent suspects at an unincorporated Gilroy residence Wednesday evening, according to authorities.
About 5:30pm Oct. 24, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies cast a wide perimeter around a residence on Buena Vista Avenue before approaching the two men, identified as Mark Ashford, 43, and James Edward Trujillo, 36, reads a press release from the sheriff’s office. Both suspects are Gilroy residents.
Both men had “numerous felony warrants” for their arrest and were considered armed and dangerous, the press release reads. Ashford was associated to a high speed vehicle pursuit with deputies earlier in the week. Just before the Oct. 24 arrest, Ashford was seen driving a vehicle related to a prior carjacking.
“Given the extensive criminal history of these individuals, our Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team was mobilized to make the apprehension of these wanted felons,” the press release from Sheriff’s Sgt. Richard Glennon said. Deputies used the SERT team to “ensure the safety of the surrounding residents and our deputies.”
Trujillo attempted to evade capture during the Oct. 24 raid by hiding in a hole under a pile of wood debris near the residence, authorities said.
On Sept. 3, Gilroy Police Department posted on Facebook that Ashford led officers on a vehicle pursuit through the north end of Gilroy. Police called off the pursuit as Ashford’s driving was reckless and endangered the public, according to the Gilroy PD Facebook post.
Gilroy Police also noted that Ashford had previous arrests for vehicle theft, firearms possession and recklessly evading officers in a vehicle.
Both suspects were arrested without incident or injury Oct. 24. A photo of the operation, released by Glennon, shows numerous deputies standing closely together and pointing rifles at a location just out of view of the camera, with a K9 police dog and its handler behind them.
Officers from the Gilroy and Morgan Hill police departments, and the Santa Clara Police K9 unit assisted in the Oct. 24 arrests, according to Glennon.
