The Hollister Police Department assisted in Thursday morning’s gang sweep by attempting to serve one arrest warrant, but the suspect was not at the local residence, a police captain said.
Local police departments and state law enforcement officials have partnered in a regional sweep, this time to arrest as many as 25 known gang members for “violent and reckless criminal activity,” according to the Gilroy Police Department.
Hollister police Capt. David Westrick confirmed that the local department was involved with the one warrant. He did not have other information on that particular case or suspect.
Officers conducted raids Thursday during a foggy, chilly morning. The sweep is the result of a seven-month undercover investigation that focused on known gang members and their associates, according to the GPD. The GPD was continuing arrests as of 7:30 a.m.
About 20 suspected gang members have been arrested so far this morning, according to GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao.
Just after 8 a.m. on Welburn Avenue, a dozen law enforcement officers raided the home, while children walked to Rod Kelly Elementary School just a few blocks away.
A woman was taken into custody at the home and transported via a Morgan Hill Police Department van, while officers – some in riot gear and camouflage – carried out cardboard boxes the contents of which are unknown at this time.
A child was seen crying in the front yard as the woman was being arrested.
GPD and Santa Clara County probation officers were seen coming out of a home at 4 Stratford Place near Luchessa Avenue in Gilroy around 6:30 a.m. They took items from the home, including a desktop computer.
GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said a SWAT team had been at the home earlier in the morning. It is not yet known how many people, if any, were taken into custody at that residence.
The 25 suspected gang members are wanted for violating what’s known as the STEP Act – Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act – and for causing “undue harm upon victims and compromised the safety of our community members,” the GPD said in a press release.
As a result of the investigation, the Santa Clara County Superior Court issued arrest warrants and search warrants related to the investigation. Parts of the investigation occurred in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and San Jose, but all of the defendants live in Gilroy, or were active in a Gilroy-based criminal street gang, GPD said.
The suspects are expected to be prosecuted by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for various crimes, including: shooting into an inhabited dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, criminal conspiracy, narcotic violations, witness intimidation and the use of juvenile offenders to commit crimes to benefit a criminal street gang, according to the GPD.
Law enforcement agencies that provided assistance during the investigation include, but are not limited to: the California Department of Justice, California Department of Justice Task Forces (Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team, Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team & Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team), California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Clara County Probation Department, Santa Clara County – Regional Auto-Theft Task Force (RATTF), Morgan Hill Police Department, Mountain View Police Department, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, Campbell Police Department, Milpitas Police Department, High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).
On Oct. 14, the GPD and 39 other agencies finished a 16-month undercover investigation by arresting more than 100 suspects in a series of raids dubbed “Operation Garlic Press.”
Check back for more updates on this breaking news story.
