Crime & Safety
3 Arrested In Watsonville After Allegedly Firing At Deputies
A good Samaritan is credited with helping capture the suspects, police said.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Three suspects who allegedly shot at Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies Thursday night during a foot pursuit near Watsonville are now in custody. Around 10:45 p.m. Thursday deputies received a 911 call from a victim reporting they had spotted a vehicle that had allegedly been stolen in Los Gatos during a recent carjacking, according to Lt. Jim Ross.
The victim calling was a passenger and said the car was near Green Valley Road and Freedom Boulevard. As the report was being made, suspects in the stolen car began to shoot at the victims who had been trailing them.
Deputies were able to get there quickly due to the proximity of the sheriff's office, according to Ross, and found the vehicle in the 1000 block of Green Valley Road. The suspects then opened fire, though deputies did not shoot back.
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It was at this point in time Ross said that deputies lost sight of the vehicle but found it about two hours later abandoned nearby on Travers Lane. The suspects were finally detained at roughly 9:30 a.m. near the intersection of Pioneer View Road and Pioneer Road in the Corralitos area, Ross said.
The lieutenant said the deputies had aircraft and a drone to provide an aerial view, which helped them locate the suspects. Monte Vista Christian School on School Way was placed on lockdown for at least an hour.
That lockdown was lifted after the suspects were taken into custody because the sheriff's office does not believe there are any remaining suspects at this time, Ross said.
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A shelter in place order was issued shortly before suspects were pursued and arrested, Ross said. It involved Travers Lane, Dietrich Road, Sans Road and Apple Valley Lane in Corralitos. As the suspects were on the run, deputies tried to do their best to update the alert and added Pioneer Road to the list. That shelter in place has also been lifted.
Ross said deputies back at the office have been doing their best to inform people of the situation via social media and that a news release with more information is forthcoming. No information on the identities of the suspects is available at this time.
Photo courtesy Renee Schiavone/ Patch
