Hollister
– A Hollister man suspected in the gang-related murder of a
local teenager earlier this month was arrested Friday morning by
Oklahoma police after being on the run for more than week.
Hollister – A Hollister man suspected in the gang-related murder of a local teenager earlier this month was arrested Friday morning by Oklahoma police after being on the run for more than week.
U.S. Marshals and Oklahoma police arrested Gonzalo Munguia, 18, in Oologah, Okla., near Tulsa in the northeastern part of the state, according to Hollister Public Information Officer Rosie Betanio. Munguia is the second suspect to be arrested in connection with the July 10 murder of Hollister resident Daniel Gallegos. A 17-year-old Hollister boy was arrested last week and has since been charged with second-degree murder.
Acting on a tip from Hollister Police, agents from the U.S. Marshals Service and several Oklahoma law enforcement agencies began a search for Munguia near Owasso, Okla. After they searched a ranch in Owasso a tip led agents to Oologah, a small city an hour away, Betanio said. Agents surrounded the Oologah home where Munguia had been staying after fleeing Hollister sometime last week.
Munguia gave himself up and was arrested without incident, Betanio said.
He was taken to the Tulsa County Jail and booked shortly before noon on Friday. Munguia had been considered “armed and dangerous,” according to an arrest warrant issued last week. Agents from the Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and two Oklahoma police departments assisted U.S. Marshals with the arrest, Betanio said. She said Munguia had relatives in Oklahoma.
Police are not sure how Munguia made the 1,700-mile trip from Hollister to Oologah, but Betanio said detectives believe he may have taken a bus. San Benito County District Attorney John Sarsfield said his office was working with officials in Tulsa to extradite Munguia to Hollister, where he will be charged with first-degree murder and special allegations of gang murder that could make him eligible for the death penalty under California Law. Sarsfield said he has not decided if he will seek the death penalty for Munguia.
The slain Gallegos, 18, and his 16-year-old brother had been walking in the 200 block of Hillcrest Street in Hollister shortly before midnight July 10 when Munguia and a 17-year-old juvenile suspect allegedly drove up behind them in a late-model Ford sedan. Police believe the two suspects got out of the car and walked toward Gallegos and his brother. The 17-year-old suspect was allegedly wielding a beer bottle and Munguia a crowbar, police said. A fight broke out between the four teens, police said. Later, the two suspects allegedly got back in the car and ran over Gallegos, possibly more than once, according to police.
Munguia, not the 17-year-old suspect, was allegedly driving the car when Gallegos was run over, according to San Benito County District Attorney John Sarsfield.
Both Munguia and the 17-year-old juvenile are documented members of the Sureño criminal street gang, according to police. Gallegos, a Pinnacles Community School student preparing to graduate in December, later died of his injuries. His mother, Katherine Lara, told the Free Lance her son was not a member of any gang. While police have not said Gallegos was a gang member, they believe his murder was gang-related.
The 17-year-old suspect was arrested last Wednesday around noon after police found the car believed to have been used in the murder in front of his home, according to Public Information Officer Rosie Betanio. The boy was arrested at his home and taken to the San Benito County Juvenile Hall. He was booked on suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and participation in a criminal street gang, all of which are felonies.
The San Benito County District Attorney’s office is considering trying the younger suspect as an adult. If tried and convicted of second degree murder as a juvenile, the 17-year-old suspect could be held until the age of 25, according to state law. The car believed to have been used in the murder was recovered last week. Fingerprint experts from the California Department of Justice have examined the vehicle.
Although both suspects are in custody, Betanio said detectives are continuing their investigation into the murder. Police do not know why Gallegos was murdered, but believe it was a gang-related crime, Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller said. He praised his staff for their hard work and quick arrests. “I’m very proud of all the officers and detectives who worked on this case,” Miller said. “They have done an outstanding job.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
