Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Gilroy Men Charged, Arrested for DUIs Monday Night

Both were highly intoxicated, police officials said.

Article updated with correction from police department and clarification from suspect's sister on Sunday, Apr. 8 at midnight.

Two men, allegedly "highly intoxicated," have been charged and arrested after their car collided with a concrete support beam under the 101 overpass on Ellis Street not long after midnight on Monday morning, police officials reported today.

The driver Jonathan Alonso, 19, and passenger Gabriel Peña, 18, both from Gilroy, left the scene of the incident after the vehicle's airbag deployed; however an officer on an area check for the subjects detained them on the 600 block of National Avenue, according to Spokeswoman Liz Wylie.

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Alonso suffered a small cut to the head, consistent with impact from an airbag Wylie explained.

A passerby reported the incident to the the MVPD at 12:19 a.m. on Monday, Apr. 2 after he saw an abandoned car that had a small amount of blood on the airbag and some beer cans outside the car, Wylie shared.

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Not long after, an officer them Alonso and Peña found them walking on National Avenue.

"Both he and the passenger were highly intoxicated," Wylie said.

The MVPD arrested the driver, Alonso, for "driving under the influence" and also for "hit and run." In addition, he had a small amount of marijuana on him without a prescription and they charged with that as well, Wylie said.

Patch has learned from the suspect's sister, Isha Alonso, 24, that Alonso has a medical marijuana card, but didn't present it to the police. Wylie told Patch that "it is standard, that [the police] are required" to ask if an individual has a card because they cannot make an arrest if someone does. However, Alonso "never said anything."

Transported to a local hospital for his injury, afterward Alonso was booked into county jail. He was release on bail by his sister and mother, according to sister.

Since the passenger, Peña, couldn't care for himself due to his inebriation and had no one to care for him, according to Wylie, he was arrested for public intoxication and also booked into county jail.

CORRECTION: Due to a confusion of booking files, the MVPD mistakenly reported to Patch that suspect Alonso "was released into the custody of his girlfriend with citations for the above charges." The suspect was booked into jail.


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