Full Notification

Type of Incident: Burglary, Stolen Vehicle, Resisting/Obstructing a Peace Officer and Vehicle Pursuit 

Location: 1600 Block of Welburn Avenue, Gilroy 

Case #: 15-3959
Date: 08/06/2015
Time: 1600 hours
Arrested:
Robert Earland, 19 year-old Salinas resident (photo attached)
Alexander Boyd, 20 year-old Salinas resident (photo attached)
Name withheld, 17 year-old Salinas resident (no photo available)

Details:

On 08/06/2015 at about 1600 hours a Gilroy Police Officer was on patrol in the 1600 block of Welburn Avenue in the City of Gilroy when he saw two males looking over a fence into a side yard of a house. When the officer attempted to contact the two males they fled on foot. The officer noticed that both males were wearing latex gloves, suggesting they may have been preparing to commit a residential burglary or other crime and did not want to leave fingerprints.

The officer began to chase the males in his patrol vehicle, but lost them behind the Pacific West School on Calle Del Rey. At that time, the officer saw a vehicle exit the parking lot of the school, where he last saw the two males running. The vehicle was driven by a subject, later identified as Alexander Boyd. The officer initiated an enforcement stop, but Boyd failed to stop and a vehicle pursuit ensued. Boyd fled at a high rate of speed onto Columbine Court, where he exited the vehicle and fled on foot up a hillside. The vehicle was found to have been reported stolen out of Salinas. Officers responded and established a perimeter of the area Boyd was last seen.

As the officer was chasing Boyd in the stolen vehicle, GPD Communications received a report of a residential Burglary that just occurred in the area of Welburn/Mantelli (The same area the officer first spotted the two males looking over the fence). Reporting parties stated two suspects in the burglary were last seen running north on Calle Del Rey. A GPD officer responding to assist the first officer arrived in the area of the burglary and located two males matching the descriptions provided by callers and attempted to detain them. Both fled on foot and began jumping fences. A second perimeter was established in the area of Briarberry/Longmeadow. A short time later, a plain-clothes GPD detective in an unmarked vehicle spotted one of the males in the area and chased him towards Del Oro Street, losing him after the suspect jumped the fence into a yard. A third perimeter was established at that location. Additional resources were requested from Santa Clara S.O., CHP and MHPD, including three K-9 officers.

With limited resources, three simultaneous searches began, with the following results; A juvenile male was located and arrested hiding in a yard on Mockingbird Drive. Robert Earland was found hiding inside a home on Del Oro, which he had broken into. Both were taken transported to the GPD jail facility for processing.

Back at the location of the stolen vehicle, a K-9 search was conducted in the heavily wooded area of the foothills near Tea Tree Ct. The dog tracked a scent to the area of Day Road. A short time later, a citizen reported a possible suspect in the area of Rancho Hills at the North dead end.  GPD detectives located Alexander Boyd (driver of the stolen vehicle), and chased him on foot from Rancho Hills, back into the foothills where he was eventually taken into custody and placed under arrest.

Social media played a big part in the capture of the suspects. As citizens became aware of what was taking place, they became active in sharing information, watching, and providing GPD police communications with information that ultimately assisted us in locating and arresting all three of the suspects.

The two adults were booked into the Santa Clara County Jail. Earland was booked for burglary and resisting arrest. Boyd was booked for the stolen vehicle and attempting to evade arrest by fleeing in the vehicle. The juvenile was booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall for burglary and resisting arrest.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Gilroy Police Department at (408) 846-0350.

For any media inquiries please call (408) 846-0347. 

*End of Media Release*
By: Sgt. Heath          DATE: August 10, 2015