Full Notification

Type of Incident:     Major Injury Traffic Collision

Location:                 North and South bound Highway 101 near 10th St. exit

Date of Incident:    01/03/2016

Time of Incident:    Approximately 0257 Hours

Suspects:                Withheld pending confirmation of identification

Details:

On January 30, 2016 at approximately 0257 hours, a Gilroy Police Officer was in the area of Chestnut and 8^th Street in Gilroy when he observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Chestnut Street. The officer attempted to catch up to the vehicle to conduct an enforcement stop; however, the driver of the suspect vehicle failed to yield and accelerated to evade the officer. The suspect driver turned into a parking lot in the area of Chestnut and Tenth Street, where the vehicle collided with a tree but the driver was able to continue fleeing in the vehicle. Officers lost sight of the suspect vehicle in the area of Alexander and 9^th Street. Due to the reckless nature of the suspect’s driving, and having lost sight of the vehicle, officers terminated their pursuit of the vehicle.

Moments later, officers learned the suspect vehicle had crashed through a fence at the end of E. Ninth Street and entered the southbound lanes of Highway 101, where at least three south bound vehicles collided with the suspect vehicle, causing it to ultimately come to rest against the center median guardrail separating north and south bound Highway 101 traffic.

It is unknown at this time if occupants of the suspect vehicle were ejected from the vehicle or if they attempted to flee the collision scene on foot, however two occupants of the suspect vehicle were located in the north bound lanes of Highway 101. At least one witness indicated that one of the occupants may have been struck by at least one northbound vehicle; however, officers have not been able to confirm that at this time. It is not yet known how many other people were in the suspect vehicle at the time of the collision. In addition to the two known occupants of the suspect vehicle, four other people were transported to local trauma centers for treatment of injuries sustained in this incident. One of the occupants of the suspect vehicle has been listed in critical condition and the other was listed in serious but stable condition. The other four people sustained minor to moderate non-life threatening injuries.

Because the area where the suspect vehicle left the roadway is within the city limits of Gilroy, the Gilroy Police Department has jurisdiction over the investigation of this incident. Investigators from the Gilroy Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) were called in to assume the investigation. Given the large crime scene, the nature of the injuries and the threat to both the investigating officer’s safety as well as the safety of other motorists, both north and south bound lanes of Highway 101 were shut down. Officers from the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans assisted in the closure of the highway and diversion of traffic. As of approximately 1000 hours, northbound traffic was able to resume; however south bound traffic will remain shut down for approximately 1-2 more hours.

Because it is early on in the investigation, it is not known if alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor in this incident. Investigators are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the suspect driver’s initial failure to yield and subsequently the collision. The investigation will remain active and ongoing after the highway is re-opened completely.

Officer Rene Arbizu is the primary investigator for this incident. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Officer Rene Arbizu at (408) 846-0350. For any media inquiries please call (408) 846-0347.