A Gilroy gang member was arrested in Morgan Hill April 26 and
booked into Santa Clara County Jail after he allegedly threw a
loaded handgun from a car window.
Morgan Hill – A Gilroy gang member was arrested in Morgan Hill April 26 and booked into Santa Clara County Jail after he allegedly threw a loaded handgun from a car window.
Thomas Jaurigue, 30, is being held without bail because he violated his parole, according to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing. He was on parole for brandishing a weapon with a criminal street gang enhancement.
The recovery of the loaded handgun by Morgan Hill police officer Greg Dini is the second time in a week police found a firearm on a suspect.
“Our officers have done an exemplary job taking two handguns off the street,” Swing said. “The good news is that no one was injured, as these are very dangerous people who were armed. Either incident could have ended tragically. In one case, there was a wanted violent felon armed with a gun, and the other was a person who was possessing – and was most likely high on – methamphetamine.”
Jaurigue was arrested for alleged possession of a loaded firearm in public, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, parole violation and outstanding warrants.
Swing said Jaurigue claims to be a Norteño gang member and has several tattoos to show his affiliation.
On Thursday, at approximately 10:45am, Jaurigue was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Jessica Amezquita, 24, of Gilroy. Morgan Hill traffic officer Steve Pennington pulled over the vehicle on Monterey Road at Bisceglia Avenue, intended to check Amezquita’s license status and see if she was wearing a seatbelt. He issued a warning for speeding, as he clocked her vehicle going 45mph in a 35mph zone.
During the traffic stop, Jaurigue threw a black pouch out of the vehicle’s passenger window. When Dini joined Pennington to assist with the stop, he found the pouch in nearby bushes. The pouch contained a loaded .25 caliber handgun.
Amezquita was released at the scene with a warning and Jaurigue was arrested without incident and taken to county jail.
