The car involved in a double-fatal crash at Sixth and Alexander
streets May 27 stopped by a north Gilroy convenience store to pick
up beer about an hour before the accident, a store clerk said this
week.
The car involved in a double-fatal crash at Sixth and Alexander streets May 27 stopped by a north Gilroy convenience store to pick up beer about an hour before the accident, a store clerk said this week.
John Anthony Carrillo Jr., an 18-year-old Gilroyan who a Quik Stop clerk believes was driving the vehicle at the time, is being held on $20,000 bail after pleading not guilty June 4 to giving a false name to police and possessing drug paraphernalia. The clerk did not want his name used for fear of retaliation.
Police have not arrested Carrillo in relation to the May 27 accident, which was allegedly fueled by alcohol. However, several witnesses have said “Anthony” was in the vehicle during the 12:54 a.m. crash, which killed Gilroy resident Robert Aguirre, 28, and San Martin resident Joel Zabala, 30. A June 2 police report regarding Carrillo’s arrest also indicates that he has been interviewed by a Gilroy Police Major Accident Investigation Team detective.
Police said this week that they are working diligently on the accident investigation.
“This isn’t a cold investigation by any stretch,” Sgt. Wes Stanford said.
Stanford would not say whether Carrillo was a suspect in the case. However, he said that the Major Accident Investigation Team only interviews people who are suspected of being involved in a traffic accident that causes serious bodily injury, death or city liability.
Police need to be particularly tight with this investigation, Stanford said.
“Anytime that two people are dead, we treat it with the seriousness it deserves,” Stanford said.
Satnam Dhillon, manager at Quik Stop – located at Welburn Avenue and Monterey Road – said the store had provided police with store surveillance footage during the night of the crash after police had requested it. Stanford would not confirm this, however.
The Quik Stop clerk, who did not want his name used, said this week that both Aguirre and Zabala entered the store the evening of May 26 to buy Tecate while two other men waited in the car. A can of Tecate was later found at the accident scene.
The clerk, who said he has read articles about the accident and seen accompanying photos, said David Torres, 18, appeared to be sleeping in back of the car, while Carrillo was in the driver’s seat. The clerk said he did not know either of the young men at the time, although he knew Zabala and Aguirre, who he described as regular customers.
Both Zabala and Aguirre were acting friendly and casual while they were in the store, the clerk said. The men left the store in the vehicle at about 11:40 p.m., he said.
Police arrested Torres just hours after the crash after he allegedly fled the accident scene, and initially they said he was the suspected driver. He was then booked for driving under the influence, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and fleeing the scene of an accident after committing vehicular manslaughter. However, he was released from jail June 1 after the district attorney’s office decided not to press charges against him and asked police to further investigate the case.
Stanford would not comment on interviews or evidence related to the investigation. An outside agency will review the department’s accident reconstruction work when it is complete, he said. Police are also waiting on lab results related to the case, he said.
Police had ample evidence to suspect that Torres was the driver at first, Stanford said, though he would not elaborate. He also would not say who owned the Plymouth involved in the crash.
A source close to the investigation said there is doubt as to whether Torres was at the wheel at the time of the accident, and several friends and family members said that Torres did not know how to drive.
Meanwhile, family members of Carrillo say their son had no part in the May 27 accident.
A woman who answered the phone at Carrillo’s home Wednesday said the Dispatch should get their information from police and not from other witnesses. She took issue with a June 4 article in the Dispatch that questioned whether Carrillo was a suspect in the case.
“This is slander, and we’re not happy with it,” she said.
Carrillo was arrested June 2 near Fifth and Monterey streets along with 35-year-old Gabriella Suzanne Mejia after police found two glass methamphetamine pipes inside Mejia’s purse, according to a report by Officer Mark Tarasco. Mejia was arrested for possession of a controlled substance after police searched her pickup and the purse which was on the front seat between where Carrillo and Mejia had been seated, according to the report.
Carrillo, who lives on Wren Avenue, repeatedly identified himself to police as a different man who lives on La Paloma Way, according to Tarasco. However, Tarasco stated in the report that he recognized “Anthony Carrillo,” who had an outstanding felony warrant, when he initially entered the pickup on Wren Avenue. The report said Tarasco was able to identify Carrillo’s true identity by using a previous booking photograph. However, when Tarasco questioned him further about his name, Carrillo replied, “I don’t want to talk to you,” according to the report.
Tarasco said he was unable to question Carrillo later on about giving a false name because he was being interviewed by a Gilroy Police Major Accident Investigation Team detective.
Although Carrillo was on probation at the time of his arrest, his past crimes cannot be released because they occurred while he was a juvenile, Santa Clara County District Attorney spokeswoman Amy Cornell said earlier this month. He is next scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial conference July 23.
