Pursuit follows investigation of suspicious vehicle at
Butterfield and Diana near downtown
Two wanted suspects were apprehended Sunday after a short chase by Morgan Hill Police Officer Kyle Christensen and a Santa Clara County deputy, MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said Monday.
Peter Mastroieni, 34, of San Martin, and Ronni Hernandez, 26, of Morgan Hill, were taken to county jail Sunday; Hernandez had an outstanding no-bail warrant for drug charges, and Mastroieni was booked on charges of resisting arrest, evading an officer, possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence.
The pursuit began at approximately 1:38pm as Christensen started to investigate a suspicious vehicle at Butterfield Boulevard and Diana Avenue close to downtown Morgan Hill.
Sampson said Christensen had noticed the vehicle in the area earlier, and it had left and returned.
“It is hard to put your finger on it sometimes, exactly what is suspicious,” Sampson said. “Sometimes it is just your ‘cop sense’ that tells you something is wrong. In this case, the movements of the suspects in the vehicle were somewhat furtive. They seemed to want to evade our officer.”
When the driver of the vehicle, Mastroieni, spotted Christensen, he drove off. Christensen chased after the vehicle. As he turned north on Walnut Grove Avenue, Mastroieni was unable to keep the vehicle on the road and crashed into the landscaping at 17379 Walnut Grove, Sampson said.
Mastroieni and his two passengers – Hernandez and a third suspect tentatively identified as Guillermo Martinez – ran away, all three in different directions.
Christensen pursued Mastroieni and caught him after a short chase. As Mastroieni resisted arrest, Christensen subdued him with a Taser and handcuffed him without further incident.
Hernandez was apprehended by a Sheriff’s Office deputy and turned over to MHPD. Martinez, who was not apprehended, is also reportedly a parolee at large.
At time of his arrest, Sampson said, Mastroieni gave false information to officers about his identity. His true identity was later discovered verified by fingerprint. He had two $150,000 warrants and was a parolee at large. He was also interviewed by detectives for possible involvement in a fraudulent check ring that has been operating in the Morgan Hill area.
Sampson said the investigation into the ring is continuing, and he did not want to compromise the investigation by releasing more information.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@*************es.com
