The Gilroy Police Department has leads for two consecutive
stabbings this week, but is still on the prowl for elusive
knife-wielding suspects at large.
The Gilroy Police Department has leads for two consecutive stabbings this week, but is still on the prowl for elusive knife-wielding suspects at large.
“We suspect it might be gang related,” GPD investigator Geoffrey Guerin. “But we don’t have a lot of specific information as to why.”
Loose ends pertaining to both cases have yet to be tied. On Monday two victims in their early 20s were brutally assaulted with a knife, baseball bat and pistol. The next day, another victim suffered life-threatening wounds when he was stabbed multiple times sitting in the passenger seat of a car.
There are few details to divulge at this time as investigations are ongoing, but Guerin said just possessing a victim’s identification in these two incidents is a leg-up he’s not always afforded.
“A lot of times we spend huge amounts of time just trying to identify who the victims are,” he said. “They don’t want to talk to us. A lot of times they’re gang members themselves. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve investigated cases just to find out who the victims were.”
A Hollister resident stabbed around 6:37 p.m. Nov. 14, for example, was uncooperative with police. In that case, the victim provided several different accounts of when and where the stabbing took place, according to the GPD in a press release.
Guerin said gang crimes have gone unsolved for the purpose of prosecution, even when the police knew who did it. Without witness or legal probable cause, he said, dead-ends are a dime a dozen.
For that reason, many crimes don’t get reported at all. And if they do, said Guerin, it’s because the victim is assaulted and winds up at the hospital – in which case hospital staff is required to inform the GPD.
“So we’ll come down, and make the interview, but a lot of times, it’s like, ‘what happened?’ And the victim says, ‘I fell.’ And (investigators) go, ‘OK … you fell on a knife?’ said Guerin. “It’s frustrating. We want to do the right thing, but you can only do so much legally.”
Though ebb and flow of gang related stabbings comes in waves – and has not increased or decreased significantly in the past two years – Guerin said this month exhibited a slight swell. He explained local gangs operate under the umbrella of either the Norteño gang or the Mexican Mafia, which stems directly from prison.
Monday’s investigation occurred around 11:14 p.m. Monday at Saint Louise Regional Hospital, after staff reported 24- and 25-year-old victims who were attacked by five to six male suspects. Staff said the first victim was pistol-whipped, stabbed multiple times in the upper torso and head and suffered life-threatening injuries.
The second victim was struck with a baseball bat while being simultaneously assaulted by four of the suspects. Police say he suffered nonlife threatening wounds.
The victims, whose names are being withheld by the GPD, were treated at Bay Area hospitals, according to a GPD press release.
All the suspects were described as Hispanic male adults approximately 20 to 23 years old, but GPD have two descriptions of suspects they say were the main attackers.
The first suspect was a Hispanic male; about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a thin build, dark complexion and black hair. He was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt, black pants and was armed with a pistol and knife.
The second suspect was described as a Hispanic male with a dark complexion. He was wearing a white T-shirt with red lettering.
Tuesday’s stabbing occurred in a stopped vehicle at the intersection of Leavesley Road and Forest Street.
The GPD said the two suspects approached the passenger’s side of the car at about 4:39 p.m., where the victim was sitting with his window rolled down.
One of the suspects reached into the open window and stabbed the victim with a knife several times before the driver of the vehicle could speed away to a nearby gas station and call for help. The victim was transported to a Bay Area hospital with life threatening wounds.
“We showed photo lineups to the victims of who we believed could possibly be suspects” said Guerin. “We were on the wrong track on that one. We’re still working on different angles to figure out who it is that did the stabbings.”
The suspect with the knife is described as a 19- to 20-year-old Hispanic male with a light complexion, short black hair, wearing a white T-shirt and approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall.
His accomplice is described 16- to 18-year-old Hispanic male with short black hair, wearing a black T-shirt and approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall.
Both suspects fled on foot in an unknown direction prior to the police arriving. A knife was recovered at the scene. Guerin did not have any updates to both cases.
“I feel as safe as can be here. We live here. That’s scary to me,” said Sue Moon, manager at Leavesley Mini Storage & Rv Parking on 195 Leavesley Road.
When she heard of the stabbing that happened immediately outside her place of employment, she was shocked.
“My daughter walks from Black Bear Diner to here. But I’m not going to have her walk here anymore.”
Anyone with information related to these incidents can call Geoffrey Guerin at 846-0348, Mark Tarasco at 846-0517 or anonymously at 800-782-7463.