Five people in custody after crash, shots fired near Sipherd Elementary

Modesto police took five people into custody – two were booked – after responding to reports of shots fired and a solo vehicle crash near Sipherd Elementary in Modesto a little before 7 a.m. Monday.

Responding officers quickly took into custody the driver of a white Subaru Impreza, 18-year-old Brian O’Connell. The school was put on lockdown as a perimeter was set up and a manhunt was conducted for four others – including one with a handgun – who’d fled the crash scene.

The perimeter near the crash at Saginaw Court and Lillian Drive extended from south of East Orangeburg Avenue to Scenic Drive. A drone aircraft was launched to search for the suspects, and investigators learned they possibly had gone into a home on North Pointe Place, said Modesto police spokeswoman Heather Graves.

Police surrounded the home and used a PA system to order the suspects to surrender. Three adult males and one minor female soon emerged, Graves said.

The investigation determined O’Connell was driving recklessly, including spinning “doughnuts” in the school parking lot, Graves said. The car then was seen heading south on Lillian toward adjacent Sipherd Park.

“What we believe transpired is they had been to a party prior to arriving at the school. They were in the parking lot messing around, then went to the park, where they continued to drink,” Graves said.

In the park, Sergio Garcia – just days short of turning 19 – fired a handgun several times into the ground, she said. When the group left the park in the Impreza, O’Connell ran into a light pole at Saginaw and Lillian.

Donna Casassas, a retired community service officer who lives on Saginaw next to Sipherd Park, said she heard five to six gunshots.

She went outside to see what was going on and saw the white car head west on Saginaw and crash into the light pole.

Casassas said she saw a Latino male walking away from the crash scene, down Saginaw. She said she told him, “You know, it’s against the law to leave the scene of an accident.”

Casassas said the male responded, “I have to call my mom.” He was calm, she said, and appeared to be under the influence of something.

O’Connell faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, Graves said. Custody records did not show him in jail Monday afternoon.

Garcia faces charges including having a gun in a school zone and carrying a loaded firearm. He remained in custody Monday afternoon, with bail set at $40,000.

Several neighbors said Sipherd Park, adjacent to the school, is a magnet for trouble. Syringes, condoms, alcohol containers and articles of clothing regularly can be found there, they said.

During the lockdown, which was lifted about 9:25 a.m., students who’d already been dropped off were kept at the school, while those arriving afterward were sent home, the school reported. Monday was the first day of school at Sipherd following winter break.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 7:52 AM with the headline "Five people in custody after crash, shots fired near Sipherd Elementary."