A Gilroy police officer shot at a two men in a car when the
driver attempted to run over another officer, police said.
A Gilroy police officer shot at a two men in a car when the driver attempted to run over another officer, police said.
About 9:35 p.m. Wednesday, three officers were conducting an unrelated narcotics investigation along the 100 block of Ronan Avenue, just north of Miller Park, when one of the officers noticed a “well known” Norteño gang member wanted for parole violation drive by in a mid-size sedan, Sgt. Jim Gillio said. One of the officers – an unidentified sergeant who has known the suspect for “a long time” – jumped into his cruiser and blocked the roadway ahead of the sedan. The veteran officer then got out of his patrol car and signaled with his flashlight for the sedan to stop, Gillio said.
As the sergeant approached the idling vehicle from the front, the other two officers came up form behind, Gillio said. As they closed in, the driver sped off, endangering the life of the sergeant who stood in front of the car at an unspecified distance away, Gillio said. The sergeant managed to dodge the vehicle, but one of the officers behind – also a veteran cop – feared for his colleague’s life and fired an undisclosed number of shots, striking the vehicle at least once. The incident took place in “a matter of seconds,” Gillio said.
“It was apparent to the officers that the suspects willingly tried to flee even after weapons were pointed at them,” a press release stated.
The suspects fled the scene and police gave chase, but the sedan made a series of “evasive” turns, causing the three officers to “immediately” lose sight of the suspects. Five to 10 minutes later, officers discovered the abandoned car in an unspecified apartment parking lot in the “immediate area.” The suspects were gone by the time officers arrived, but there were several witnesses to the incident and police interviewed them.
Gillio, who ended his shift about 1 p.m. Thursday after more than 24 hours on the clock, would not say where officers discovered the car or if there were additional occupants aside from the unknown driver and suspect. He also would not say what evidence police recovered from the sedan or if anyone inside caught gunfire, but he did say detectives were reviewing evidence. A spokesperson for Saint Louise Regional Hospital could not immediately say whether any gun shot victims visited the hospital Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Police said they did not have the suspects names as of Thursday morning but were “working to firm up” their identities. Police also did not release a description of the suspects.
Police often withhold information from the public immediately after an incident to give officers the upper hand when questioning suspects later, police have said. Gillio also could not provide information on the chief suspect’s criminal history or parole terms because the wanted notices police receive from state parole authorities do not include specifics, he said.
Whenever an officer uses any type of deadly force, he or she takes a “routine leave” while the department conducts an internal investigation. The standard leave is anywhere from two to 14 days. Both the sergeant and officer who fired his weapon are on leave.
This puts added pressure on a department already stressed by under-staffing, and exasperates what many officers have described as low morale due to recent budget cuts.
One senior officer retired earlier this month and another will do so next month. Another officer quit after budget woes to take a job in Watsonville, and a detective also recently left the force.
With two additional sworn officers now off the streets, the department will operate with 53 sworn officers throughout October, about two-thirds of whom patrol the streets. Overtime will likely increase because the graveyard shift is already at its minimum staffing level, police said.
A federal grant will allow the hiring of three new officers, but they likely won’t join the department until February 2010 at the earliest.
If you have information about this incident, you can contact Detective Stanley Devlin at 846-0335 or leave an anonymous tip at 846-0330.
View Ronan Avenue shooting in a larger map
