Running away from an accident he allegedly caused did not help a
Gilroy man Saturday afternoon, as witnesses gave his location to
police, leading to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the
influence and other charges.
Morgan Hill
Running away from an accident he allegedly caused did not help a Gilroy man Saturday afternoon, as witnesses gave his location to police, leading to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence and other charges.
Alfonso Jimenez, 21, was cited and later released on the DUI charge, as well as hit and run and driving without a license charges.
According to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing, Jimenez was driving southbound on Monterey Road at approximately 4:20 p.m. As he approached the intersection of Monterey Road and West Edmundson Avenue, he apparently failed to notice that traffic was stopped at the light.
Traveling at approximately 40 mph, he reportedly smashed into the rear of a Jeep stopped at the light.
Swing said the driver of the Jeep was not injured, and the Jeep was not damaged. Jimenez was also not injured, but the green compact car he was driving took the brunt of the impact and had front-end damage.
Talking on his cell phone, Swing said, Jimenez backed up after the collision and made a right turn onto West Edmundson Avenue, then lost control of his car. He drove over the concrete median, across several lanes of traffic, over the curb, finally coming to a stop on the sidewalk next to the Starbucks Coffee in the Vineyard Town Center.
Jimenez and his passenger reportedly left the vehicle and ran south, Swing said, and witnesses realized their behavior was suspicious and called police dispatchers to report what they saw.
Cpl. Mindy Zen caught up with Jimenez at the bus stop at Monterey Road and Vineyard Boulevard at the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant, but the passenger was gone.
