The Hollister Police Department arrested a man on gun and other charges after a vehicle pursuit Wednesday night.
According to a police statement from the HPD:
On February 27 at about 10:26 pm, Officer Melgoza and Officer Madruga were on patrol in the area of Sally Street and Hawkins Street when they noticed a dark-colored BMW drive through an intersection without making a proper stop.
Officers attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop for the violation, but the driver failed to yield. The driver, who was later identified as Johnny Ciccotti, 27, led officers on a vehicle pursuit through residential streets and the downtown area.
The vehicle pursuit came to an end near North Sally Street and Maple Street when Ciccotti jumped out of the still moving vehicle and fled on foot. The car eventually came to a stop when it collided into a curb and a tree. Ciccotti fled into the residential area, and officers formed a perimeter around the surrounding city block.
Officers deployed K-9 Freeze. After a short house-to-house search, Ciccotti was found hiding in a vehicle located in the back yard of a residence. Ciccotti did not offer any further resistance once found.
After Ciccotti was placed under arrest, a local resident flagged down officers to advise she had found a handgun on the street. Officers noticed the handgun had marks consistent with it being thrown from a vehicle. The handgun was found in the area where the pursuit had just passed, and a review of the high-definition patrol car video recording of the pursuit revealed an item being thrown from the vehicle in the same area where the gun was found.
The handgun was reported stolen from Alameda County, and Ciccotti is on parole from that same county. Officers suspected the car was stolen but so far have been unable to contact the registered owner of the vehicle.
Ciccotti was arrested and booked on a parole violation, felony evading, a felon in possession of ammunition, a felon in possession of a firearm, a convicted person in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm in public, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, and possession of a high-capacity magazine.
The Hollister Police Department would like to thank the citizen who came forward to report the firearm and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office for assistance in setting up a perimeter and taking the suspect into custody.
Anyone with information regarding these investigations is requested to contact the Hollister Police Department at 831-636-4330. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME. Information provided to WeTip may qualify for a reward.
