A murder suspect was arrested in Morgan Hill Friday morning
after nine hours of searching by the Morgan Hill Police SWAT team,
a Gilroy Police K-9 and Sheriff’s Office deputies.
Morgan Hill – A murder suspect was arrested in Morgan Hill Friday morning after nine hours of searching by the Morgan Hill Police SWAT team, a Gilroy Police K-9 and Sheriff’s Office deputies.
The suspect, identified as Jorge Santos Torres, 23, of San Jose, was dragged from a constricted crawl space under the residence of a family member at 15720 Via Castana off of La Crosse Avenue in south Morgan Hill shortly before noon.
“The space was so tight, he could barely move. The officers grabbed his hands, and they all three had to slither out backwards,” MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson said Friday afternoon.
Torres was not armed when they pulled him out, Sampson said. San Jose Police interviewed Torres and took him into their custody.
Officers searched the crawl space earlier in the morning, but the area extended so far back under the house, it was difficult to explore. A fiber-optic camera was used to see further into the crawl space, and officers saw a sleeping bag and pillow there.
The incident began late Thursday night, when MHPD officer Kyle Christensen stopped a Dodge Intrepid for a red light violation, Sampson said. While talking with the driver and the two male passengers, Torres provided false identification. As the questioning continued, Torres fled and ran through Paradise Park.
Christensen gave chase, but lost Torres. As the investigation continued, officers found Torres’ true identity and the fact that he was wanted for a murder that occurred in San Jose May 5, 2003. Sampson said the murder may have been gang-related.
Torres also has an outstanding FBI warrant for allegedly fleeing to Mexico after the murder, Sampson said.
As the MHPD SWAT team was dispatched to the area, neighbors were evacuated, and a thorough search of the residence on Via Castana was conducted.
Sampson said there were 19 MHPD officers on the scene, “almost the entire staff,” except for the detective squad and officers on vacation.
The evacuations took place about 4:30am, and the families were woken up by a SWAT team member in full gear.
“It was a bit surprising,” said Curt Casey, who lives next door to the residence being searched. “I came downstairs, and there was this SWAT guy in full gear.”
Casey said he and his wife, Paula, went willingly and were glad to be warned. The SWAT team asked their permission to use their house as a base for negotiators, and they agreed.
