Gilroy police tend to stay active during Garlic Festival
weekend, as almost 100,000 people come to town. However, some of
the biggest incidents local law enforcement agents handled this
weekend appeared to have nothing to do with the event at all.
Gilroy police tend to stay active during Garlic Festival weekend, as almost 100,000 people come to town. However, some of the biggest incidents local law enforcement agents handled this weekend appeared to have nothing to do with the event at all.
Police responded Friday and Saturday to three hit-and-run incidents, a chase down U.S. Route 101 and an attempted carjacking in east Gilroy. Two pedestrians were injured in one of the hit and run incidents, police said.
“It was just a busy weekend, and most of it had nothing to do with the Garlic Festival that I’m aware of,” Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said.
The events started Friday evening when Gilroy resident Derek Shingu, 42, was arrested on charges of a hit and run violation at about 9:34 p.m. after he drove into another vehicle on Wayland Lane and then drove off, Gallacinao said. A witness followed Shingu to Hanna and Sixth streets, where police eventually caught up to him at 9:57 p.m.
The following day, 19-year-old Watsonville resident Jose Valadez allegedly struck two pedestrians at about 10:35 p.m. who were crossing the street in front of Tenampa Restaurant, 7990 Monterey St. Similar to the previous day’s incident, a citizen followed the vehicle – this time to La Sierra Way and Wayland Lane – where Valadez was arrested at 11:03 p.m. on charges of driving without a license and hit and run resulting in great bodily injury, police said. He was not found to be under the influence, Gallacinao said.
Both pedestrians were transported to a trauma center with nonlife threatening injuries.
In another Saturday incident, 18-year-old Gilroy resident Emily Lorea was arrested at 10:49 p.m. on charges of hit and run and driving under the influence after her car allegedly hit a mailbox and a fence while driving near Princevalle Street and Stephan Court, according to police. In addition, passengers Frank Thomasetti, 20, and Mariah Torres, 18, of Gilroy, were arrested for being drunk in public.
Although Lorea and her passengers all left the vehicle, they were found in the general area where the incident occurred, Gallacinao said.
Police found themselves in a high-speed chase early Saturday, in which a Gilroy man with a felony warrant ultimately escaped in Prunedale.
According to Gallacinao, Michael Garza, 27, of Gilroy fled police after they tried to pull him over at 12:18 a.m at Alexander and Sixth streets. He had a warrant for a probation violation and a misdemeanor warrant at the time, Gallacinao said.
The suspect went to Martin Street and then Chestnut Street before entering U.S. Route 101 via the 10th street exit according to the police report. He allegedly traveled at speeds of up to 80 mph on the freeway and crossed over onto the shoulder of the northbound lane in Prunedale even as he continued to travel south, Gallacinao said. At that point, the California Highway Patrol discontinued the pursuit for safety reasons, Gallacinao said.
Garza then allegedly ran into a Monterey County Sheriff’s vehicle near Echo Valley Road in the Prunedale area before colliding with the roadway shoulder, Gallacinao said. He immediately fled his vehicle and ran into a wooded area to the east, he said.
Back in Gilroy, police arrested a 17-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy, both from Hollister, at 6:52 p.m. Sunday evening after they allegedly tried to steal a car near Eliot Elementary School, tried to stab another person and broke the window of an apartment on East Street.
The teens, were allegedly shouting gang slogans, banged on the windows of a passing car and brandished a knife while trying to steal it, Gallacinao said. Then they threatened a man after asking whether he was with a rival gang before vandalizing the apartment for unknown reasons, Gallacinao said.
Police caught up with the two teens at Old Gilroy and Chestnut streets, where the boy allegedly started approaching police aggressively resulting in the use of an electronic stun gun by police, Gallacinao said.
Both the boy and girl were arrested on charges of attempted carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a crime, vandalism and resisting arrest.
The Garlic Festival itself was a relatively tame event this year, although police responded to more than 100 calls on Friday and 208 calls Saturday, Gallacinao said.
“Compared to years past, it’s been a pleasant weekend,” he said.
