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Hollister police arrested a 45-year-old man accused of brandishing a firearm and threatening two men in the parking lot of Rovella’s Gym after a dispute involving his 17-year-old stepdaughter.
Investigators say Reginald Mendoza Vergara confronted the victims on June 19 after his stepdaughter called him during a verbal argument inside the business. Officers used video footage provided by the victims and the city’s FLOCK camera system to identify Vergara’s vehicle and locate him six days later. He was booked into San Benito County Jail on charges of brandishing a firearm and making criminal threats.
Vergara’s stepdaughter called him to the scene after feeling like she was being harassed, according to the Hollister Police Department. Upon arriving, he allegedly brandished the firearm at the two victims, leading them to call the police.
“I mean, he rolled up on them in the parking lot near their vehicles, got out of his vehicle and they reported that he was holding the pistol in his hand,” Hollister Police Sgt Dave Anderson said. Anderson clarified that Vergara was not pointing the firearm at the victims.
However, when the police arrived on scene, Vergara and his stepdaughter had already fled.
The victims were able to provide video footage, detailed descriptions of Vergara, his vehicle and his vehicle’s license plate number to officers, according to the Hollister Police Department.
Vergara lives in an unincorporated area of the county, just outside the city limits, and on June 25, officers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop in order to serve a search warrant for the firearm. Vergara was then taken into custody and the firearm was located and seized as evidence.
In its news release, the Hollister Police Department reminded citizens of Hollister to resolve disagreements peacefully and that there are significant consequences to using a firearm to threaten others.
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