Police arrested four young men on a variety of charges after one of them fired a gun in the process of attempting to steal marijuana plants from a residence in southwest Morgan Hill Aug. 5, authorities said.
Morgan Hill Police officers responded to the residence on Manor Court about 6:15 p.m., where someone called to report a disturbance, according to MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling.
“When we got there, we saw four people fighting with two others,” Hoefling said. Police later determined the two who were outnumbered were residents of the home on Manor Court.
When the four aggressors—two juveniles and two adults—saw the officers, they “took off running,” Hoefling said. Officers set up a perimeter around the neighborhood with the help of deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and pursued the four males, Hoefling said. Officers caught up with all four suspects, and found a loaded firearm on one of the young men.
The two victims identified all four suspects, police said.
Police determined the four suspects had jumped over a fence into the backyard of the Manor Court residence and tried to steal a number of marijuana plants that were growing on the property, Hoefling said.
During the altercation that followed when the residents saw the robbery in progress, one of the suspects hit a victim with a belt buckle, police said. The victim reported redness and swelling, but no other significant injuries occurred during the incident.
Hoefling added a shot was fired during the fight, but officers could not determine in which direction or where the bullet landed.
Arrested were Andrae Martinez, 21 of Morgan Hill, on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm, brandishing, terrorist threats, resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon; Alejandro Gutierrez, 18 of Gilroy, on suspicion of resisting arrest; a 17-year-old juvenile on suspicion of resisting arrest; and a 16-year-old on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon (belt buckle), criminal threats, resisting arrest and a probation violation.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact Morgan Hill Police at (408) 779-2101.
