Officers with the Hollister Police Department arrested Steven Reyes Aguirre, 29, on Wednesday for various gun charges including being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm.
On October 25 around 9:22 p.m., Hollister police officers responded to a report of a person with a firearm seen in the area of San Benito High School at 1220 Monterey Street.
Officer Melgoza was the first to arrive at the school parking lot near Baler Alley and located a man who matched the description of the suspect with the gun given by a witness. The male was later identified as Aguirre.
Officer Melgoza ordered Aguirre to stop, but he refused to obey police commands and fled on foot across Baler Alley while holding something at his waist. Aguirre hid behind a storage unit, but was quickly located and arrested by Officer Melgoza. Other officers arrived to assist and a search of the area revealed a loaded handgun that Aguirre had attempted to hide.
Aguirre was taken to the San Benito County Jail and booked on the following charges: being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm, possessing a firearm while on school grounds, carrying a firearm with intent to commit a felony, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a high capacity firearm magazine, delaying and obstructing a police officer, and destruction of evidence.
The Hollister Police Department would like to thank those citizens who called police to advise officers of this dangerous situation. Law enforcement is a partnership with the community and we need our citizens to be good witnesses. It is with their help that we can achieve our mutual goal to make Hollister a safer community.
Anyone with information on this case or any other pending investigation is asked to call the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330. Persons wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip Hotline at (800) 78-CRIME. Information provided to WeTip may qualify for a reward.
