A jail inmate in Hollister who is a known gang associate and has a violent past escaped early Tuesday morning by scaling a barbed-wire fence, according to the San Benito County Sheriff's Office.
Daniel Lopez Zavala escaped the San Benito County Correctional Facility at about 1:55 a.m. Tuesday while doing janitorial work at the jail, the sheriff's office said.
Hollister shares a border with Gilroy in southern Santa Clara County.
Lopez Zavala, 37, was last seen wearing a brown jail shirt, orange jail pants and black shoes. He is described as 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighing about 190 pounds and has short black hair and brown eyes, the sheriff's office said.
Lopez Zavala also has tattoos on his chest of "San Benito County" and "Hollis" as well as tattoos on his right and left arms that show skulls and portraits of females. He has additional tattoos on his upper back of "ESN," his right abdomen of "Alexia" and his left abdomen of "Amaya," sheriff's officials said.
Lopez Zavala, who associates with Norteno gang members, was an unsentenced inmate, officials said. He has a criminal record that includes felony gun charges and child abuse charges as well as other drug-related counts.
Anyone who sees him should call 911 or TEXT-A-TIP to 888777 by typing TIP SBCSO followed by the message.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
