It was a peaceful weekend, by police standards, as Morgan Hill
residents enjoyed the Taste of Morgan Hill, apparently without much
misbehaving.
“Overall, it went really well,” MHPD Cmdr. Terrie Booten said
Monday. “There were no problems with people having alcohol from the
restaurants wandering around the streets. Everybody seemed to have
behaved themselves and acted appropriately.”
It was a peaceful weekend, by police standards, as Morgan Hill residents enjoyed the Taste of Morgan Hill, apparently without much misbehaving.
“Overall, it went really well,” MHPD Cmdr. Terrie Booten said Monday. “There were no problems with people having alcohol from the restaurants wandering around the streets. Everybody seemed to have behaved themselves and acted appropriately.”
There were no arrests for drunk in public or for driving under the influence related to the festival, Booten said.
The only incident came after festival closing time on Saturday, an armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to Booten, a 17-year-old Morgan Hill male approached Benito Maravillas, 20, of Morgan Hill as he was walking in the area of Fifth Street and Monterey Road at approximately 6:11pm.
“He demanded his shoes,” said Booten. “The subject refused and was knocked to the ground by the suspect as the suspect called him a ‘scrap.’ The right shoe was taken off, but then the suspect was interrupted by a family member of the victim. Ibarra Gomez of San Jose came to his rescue.”
The suspect then brandished a 2’ x 4’ piece of wood with four nails on the tip and hit Gomez on the right side of the head. Gomez then grabbed the wood, Maravillas’ shoe, and fled the scene, Booten said.
Gomez then reported the crime, and officers were able to locate the juvenile. He was taken to Juvenile Hall on charges of armed robbery, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a criminal street gang activity.
Though the police report did not list the kind of shoes Maravillas was wearing, Booten said the robbery attempt could have been more about gangs than about the brand of shoes.
“It may have been a color that might have indicated to a Norteño gang member that he was a member of the Sureño gang,” Booten said.
Maravillas was not injured in the incident. Gomez had cuts on his temple and swelling as well as injury to his right eye and a swollen and painful hand. He refused medical treatment.
Booten said no other incident occurred to mar the weekend, though the department was prepared for problems. For the first time, the department had a booth at the festival.
“We have always had a presence, with officers on patrol, but we wanted to establish a point of contact for the community,” she said. “It was a good point for officers to take a break, but especially for officers to be able to communicate with the community. We wanted the people at the Taste to be able to provide feedback to the officers, if they wished. It was a good opportunity for us to intertwine with the community. Also, we thought it would provide a quicker response inside the festival, but fortunately, there was no need for that.”
