Hollister
– The San Benito County Sheriff’s Gang Suppression Unit nabbed a
wanted car thief last Friday believed to be in the process of
shopping for his next ride to steal.
Hollister – The San Benito County Sheriff’s Gang Suppression Unit nabbed a wanted car thief last Friday believed to be in the process of shopping for his next ride to steal.
Deputies arrested Hollister resident Hector Garcia, on his 24th birthday, for felony car theft, possession of stolen property and misdemeanor possession of burglary tools and resisting arrest after finding the suspect riding bicycle and carrying a variety of tools used to steal cars Friday shortly before midnight.
When Gang Suppression deputies Johnny Peña and Rick Uribe approached Garcia, he tried to out run them on his bicycle, said Lt. Roy Iler. After crashing his bike on San Benito Street, Garcia then fled on foot to evade deputies. Garcia was eventually apprehended in the backyard of a San Benito Street home and arrested. During a search of his person, deputies found several “slim jims” used to unlock car doors and five “master keys” or filed down car keys often used to steal cars, Iler said.
Garcia was wanted by the Hollister Police in connection with two car thefts in the last three weeks. Both times he was able to evade police during foot chases after being caught driving the stolen cars, Iler said.
“This guy has stolen two cars in the last three weeks,” he said. “And we’re still investigating to see if any more stolen vehicles can be linked to him.”
Peña and Uribe, who had been in downtown Hollister on routine gang patrol, were originally alerted to Garcia because he was wearing red, the color of the Norteño criminal street gang. However, Iler said Garcia is not believed to be a gang member.
Deputies suspect that Garcia was riding his bicycle in search of another car to steal at the time of his arrest, Iler said.
“This is our Gang Suppression Unit at their best,” he said. “They are preventing crimes before they happen.”
San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill called the arrest a “perfect example” of why his department patrols the city streets.
“These are the kind of folks our gang unit is looking for when they work downtown,” he said. “Hopefully this will put a dent in the number of car thefts.”
Garcia is being held in the San Benito County Jail in lieu of $8,000 bail, according to jail personal. If convicted of possession of stolen property, he could face a maximum of four years in state prison.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
