Hollister
– Police arrested a Hollister teen Wednesday in connection with
the brutal murder of Daniel Gallegos this week, but a second
suspect believed to have been in the car that ran over the victim
is still at large.
Hollister – Police arrested a Hollister teen Wednesday in connection with the brutal murder of Daniel Gallegos this week, but a second suspect believed to have been in the car that ran over the victim is still at large.
The 17-year-old suspect was arrested 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.
A second suspect is still at large, Betanio said. Both suspects are documented members of Sureño criminal street gang, according to police. Betanio said police are conducting further investigation to determine which suspect was behind the wheel when Gallegos was run over.
Hollister Police detectives are seeking an arrest warrant for the second suspect, Betanio said.
“We have looked in several locations, but at this time we have come up empty-handed,” she said Thursday. Betanio said police did not know if the suspect has fled the area.
Betanio said that while the second suspect has been identified, his name is being withheld pending his arrest.
The car used in the murder of Gallegos was recovered Tuesday night around 8pm. Fingerprint experts from the California Department of Justice have examined the vehicle, but Betanio declined to discuss what, if any, evidence was found in the car.
Gallegos and his 16-year-old brother had been walking in the 200 block of Hillcrest Street in Hollister Monday shortly before midnight when the two suspects drove up behind them in a late-model Ford sedan. The suspects, who are both teenagers, got out of the car and walked toward Gallegos and his brother. One suspect was reportedly carrying a beer bottle and the other a crowbar. A fight broke out between the four teens. Later, the two suspects got back in the car and ran over Gallegos, possibly more than once.
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.
An autopsy by the San Benito County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday showed that Gallegos died as a result of “multiple, massive blunt force trauma” from being run over with a car, Undersheriff Pat Turturici said.
Like all juveniles, the 17-year-old suspect is being held without bail, according to San Benito County Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts. He is expected to have an arraignment hearing before next Tuesday, Botts said.
San Benito County District Attorney John Sarsfield said the suspect could be tried as an adult under California law. Sarsfield had not filed criminal charges against the suspect as of press time on Thursday.
“It is possible that we will try him as an adult, but I can’t say for sure until I have all the facts,” Sarsfield said Thursday.
If tried as an adult and convicted of first-degree murder charges, the 17-year-old could face 25 years to life in prison, the prosecutor said. If convicted of murder as a juvenile, he could be held until the age of 25. In the case that the suspect is tried as an adult, his name would be released and he would be entitled to bail, Sarsfield said.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com.
