Hollister police Tuesday arrested a suspect involved in a
gang-related shooting ordered from inside the San Benito County
Jail.
Hollister police Tuesday arrested a suspect involved in a gang-related shooting ordered from inside the San Benito County Jail.
Police arrested Luis Humberto Garcia, 20, of Hollister, for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting arrest in the shooting of Jose Rosales at his home Saturday. Police said he was a Norteño gang member. Hollister police teamed up with San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) to make the arrest.
Hollister police responded to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital for a gunshot wound at 1:50 a.m. Saturday, immediately after responding to a report of shots fired on San Juan Drive, said Sgt. Ray Wood.
“(Rosales) was generally uncooperative and didn’t want to give any names or say what happened,” Wood said. “Without any more information, the officers took the report and left.”
Police determined Rosales, who police say has local gang affiliations, had a confrontation with Garcia at his home at on San Juan Dr., which resulted in the shooting. Rosales was shot in the right arm by what police believe was a 9 mm handgun, Wood said.
The next day, the Hollister Police Gang Unit learned a “green light on Jose Rosales,” had come out of the San Benito County Jail two months prior. A green light refers to a hit or some kind of retaliation, Wood said.
Police have an idea who ordered the hit from inside the jail but are not releasing the information. They believe the attack was ordered because Rosales, who is not a full Norteño gang member, wasn’t abiding by Norteño rules, Wood said.
“We re-interviewed Rosales and he indicated who the suspect may be,” Wood said. “But we already had a good idea based on the information out of the jail.”
Hollister police, sheriff’s deputies and UNET agents located Garcia on Tuesday as he was getting into a car in front of a residence on Central Avenue.
Four law enforcement vehicles containing six officers followed the car, which contained two other unidentified males, and initiated a traffic stop at 7:33 p.m. at South and Line streets, Wood said.
Garcia fled from the right rear side of the car and began running and jumping over fences of homes in the area of South and Line streets, he said.
Officer Chad Browning intercepted Garcia and ordered him to stop, but he did not comply.
After a short foot-chase, Browning tackled Garcia, who was punching, kicking and striking the officer, Wood said.
“Another agent had to strike Garcia with a baton on his right calf, and then he finally gave up and was taken into custody,” Wood said.
The gun used in the shooting has not been found.
Police will require Rosales to identify Garcia as his assailant to strengthen the case, Wood said.
“We have no doubt we have the correct person, but there are certain points of investigation we need to make a more solid case,” he said. “We believe (Garcia) might have been trying to carry out the hit because he was on the outs with the Norteño gang and he was trying to get back in.”
Garcia has had prior gang-related arrests for a previous shooting incident and assault with a deadly weapon, Wood said.
“This is one of the things we should be fearing because we have gangsters running around with guns,” he said.
