Photo: Jesse Santillana
On October 14, 2020, a Hanford Police officer attempted a traffic stop on a black Audi. The driver of the Audi refused to stop and when HPD lost the vehicle in the area of Highway 198 and Highway 43, they issued a “be on the lookout” to surrounding law enforcement agencies.
Jose Galvan
About 15 minutes after the “BOLO” was issued, a Kings County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the car near 12th Avenue and Iona Avenue in Rural Kings County. Once again, the driver of the Audi failed to stop when the deputy attempted a traffic stop.
The driver, later identified as 28-year old Jesse Santillana, reached speeds of over 80 MPH driving northbound on 12th Avenue, ran a stop sign, and recklessly passed other drivers on the road. When he turned into Oriole Drive in Hanford, the passenger, 19-year old Jose Galvan, took off on foot with a backpack on his back.
Galvan was brought down by a deputy on foot and shorty after Santillana was successfully pulled over and arrested.
In the backpack Galvan was carrying, he possessed a loaded .45 caliber Ruger handgun, several loaded magazines, and multiple rounds of ammunition. Santillana and Galvan, who both were identified as “Northerner” gang members, were booked into the Kings County Jail for multiple felony violations, with Santillana’s bail set at $195,000 and Galvan’s at $155,000.
