March 25, 2004

“A senseless act”

Road rage takes the life of Leland senior

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

What started out as a typical night of teenage fun shared with good friends turned tragic when 18-year-old Leland High School senior Troy Pollett was murdered and another friend injured on a tranquil Almaden street early Saturday morning.

Pollett, along with 19-year-old friends Chris Johnson and Amir Mahboobi were headed to a friend's house from a party in Morgan Hill at around 2:20 a.m., when a dark sedan pulled up behind them flashing their lights and honking the horn. The two vehicles pulled over on Kiser Drive and Sleepy Creek Way, where Johnson and Pollett got out of the car and the two occupants of the sedan followed suit.

Apparently sparked by road rage, what actually caused the altercation that followed remains unknown. “There apparently was some sort of obscene gesture from one vehicle to the other,” said San Jose Police Department Spokesperson Sgt. Steve Dixon. “It depends on who you talk to as to who initiated that.”

The two suspects allegedly approached and threatened the teens. “It wasn't even a fight,” said Derek Honig, who spoke with Johnson later. “He just walked up and said, ‘I'm gonna [sic] stab you guys.' Chris didn't know he had a knife and went to punch him. That's when the guy stabbed him and he went after Troy right after that.”

The third passenger, Mahboobi, called for help and began administering CPR to Pollett, who was later pronounced dead at the scene, while Johnson was taken to Valley Medical Center and released later that day. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Val Esquivel is a former wrestling coach at Leland (who is currently a sales representative for the Almaden Times Weekly) who has remained in contact with his students and was notified of Pollett's death by Mahboobi. He said he couldn't get out of the back seat of the two-door car in time to help his friends, but tried to save Pollett's life.

“He was in a state of shock and choked up,” said Esquivel. “This all happened at a time when they're supposed to be worrying about the prom or graduation—now they are making phone calls about the murder.”

Police acted quickly on information received and later arrested 22-year-old Anthony John Sanchez at his home on Santa Teresa Boulevard in connection with the fatal stabbing. He was arraigned Wednesday on murder and attempted murder charges.

Sanchez lives with his mother and stepfather, a Mercury News employee. According to his mother Patty Melendez, he suffered the black eye shown on his booking photo during the altercation with Pollett and Johnson. She maintains that her son is a good kid and remains convinced that he was acting out of self-defense.

Police would not comment on Sanchez's version of the story, saying that they refused to try this case in the press.

Prior court records indicate that Sanchez threw a beer bottle at another car in 2001 because the other car “was speeding without his lights on.” He served two days in jail and was placed on probation for the misdemeanor offense.

According to police, the second suspect, whose name has not been released, was questioned, but will not be charged in connection with the case at this time.

“We identified, interviewed and charged Sanchez with murder and attempted murder because we believe he stabbed both victims,” added Dixon. “If the district attorney wants the other person later, we'll charge him then.”

“It's so tragic,” asserted San Jose Unified School District spokesperson Karen Fuqua “This young man lost his life over nothing.”

A community mourns

Friends and family continue to mourn the loss of one of their own in what many are calling a senseless act of violence.

“I'm on overload and trying to keep it altogether day by day,” admitted a devastated Steven Pollett, Troy's father. “I'm trying to take care of my son first, and then myself once he's been put to rest.”

Those closest to Pollett took time out on Saturday to have his initials tattooed on their bodies as a lasting reminder of the fun-loving guy with a permanent smile on his face. Pollett will be remembered as an avid skateboarder, basketball player, bowling partner, weightlifter, and devoted friend, with aspirations of becoming a personal trainer or physical therapist.

“We've been friends since eighth grade,” declared a shaken Blake Thomas. “I can't believe this happened. I'll always remember his humor and his smile.”

In an ongoing vigil, several of Pollett's closest friends spent the weekend camped out at the site of his murder, where a memorial of candles, photos, notes and flowers continued to grow.

“It just isn't right, he didn't do anything wrong,” said teary-eyed Erin George, who remained at the memorial on Monday. “All of this happened for no reason.”

“This really hits home, you know?” added classmate Mike Coldin, who lives near the scene of the stabbing. “It's just weird when it happens so close. This is supposed to be one of the safest cities to live in America.”

“It's sad that something like this has to happen to make us all realize that all of the little things in life are so trivial,” said Troy's friend Michelle Carroll, who had been at the site since Saturday. “It just isn't worth it to worry about little things. In one second, all you have can be taken away.”

On Monday, a crisis response team was sent to Leland High School to council the staff and students in their grief. “The crisis response team is awesome,” admitted Leland Principal Susan Votaw. “We have things in place to let the students and staff know that they're not doing it by themselves. It takes a lot of people to provide the kind of support that both the staff and kids need right now.”

Students began constructing a memorial with candles, flowers and posters for notes. “They're just sitting with their sorrow and their grief,” said Votaw. “It's a very quiet, respectful place. I believe while some are ready to talk about and question this, others aren't and they are being given the space to do that.”

Announcements of Pollett's death were made over the school's P.A. system and students who chose to remain at a makeshift memorial were allowed to stay and mourn their friend. “It's really hard to sit in class when something like this happens,” Votaw added. “He went to Bret Harte with these kids. They knew each other for a long time. He was friendly and outgoing—a kid with plans.”

Just before lunch, an impromptu gathering in the quad turned into a circle of friends during a moment of silence. “People who didn't even know Troy showed up,” said Brittany Welby, who had known him since sixth grade. “The circle was so big, it almost filled the whole quad. Everyone wrote a message on paper plates and put them in the grass.”

Later, nearly 70 kids, including Chris Johnson returned to the site on Kiser for a musical dedication of Puff Daddy's “I'll be missing you.” “I'm going to always think of Troy every time I hear that song,” admitted a tearful Welby.

Pitching in

Several merchants in the area have pitched in to help, including PW Market, Trader Joe's, Safeway, and Almaden Feed-N Fuel, donating water, soda, candles, chips, power bars, pastries, and flowers to the impromptu memorial site. Burger King delivered food to the 15-20 kids who remained at the site on Monday morning. Parents are also being credited with delivering supplies so that those in mourning would not have to worry about anything except remembering their friend. One neighbor constructed a cross bearing Pollett's name, which now stands as a tribute to the fallen teen.

“Our teenagers these days get such a bad rap,” observed Charlene Snow. “But when it comes right down to it, the community hears and pulls in behind them. I'm proud to say I'm from Almaden because I would have never thought the outpouring from adults would be like this for these teenagers. They don't even know these kids. It's a blessing that there are people out here who are willing to help take care of my son while he is grieving.”

According to the kids, one neighbor has been especially helpful, opening up their home to those who need it, as well as making sure they have food and warm blankets. For Kelly and Doug Rae, whose 9-year-old son Parin often played basketball with Pollett and looked up to him as a role model, it's a small gesture at a difficult time. “We stayed out here with the kids all night watching over them,” said Kelly Rae. “I just want them to know that there are people who care.”

Lifesaving advice

Given the opportunity to learn from this tragedy, those who knew Pollett expressed the need to use it as a wake up call, offering advice that might prevent it from happening again in the future.

“If anybody can just take this and realize that it's a senseless act, they can learn from it and never do it again,” observed Charlene Snow. “It's out there. Unfortunately society is this way and I would hope that my son would have the sense to find a safe place to go and call me, his dad or a friend on his cell phone and not stop [his car].”

“Don't get into it,” warns Honig. “It's not worth losing a friend. He was an all around great guy—never did anything wrong. He always had a smile on his face and loved to have a good time. This was totally unexpected.”

Neighbor Doug Rea warns kids not to get out of their cars and confront others in similar situations. “Even if you think there's nothing to worry about, drive to a fire station, drive to a police station, call someone on your cell phone—just don't get out of the car.”

“This was an act of violence and a major wakeup call—a reality check,” said neighbor and friend George Pai. “No one should ever die over something as preventable as this. No matter what the conflict, things can always be worked out. I think that the guy who killed him is regretting it right now.”

“The strong ones are the ones who can walk away,” added Melinda Mahbobbi, Amir's sister. “People should learn from this and not let Troy die for nothing.”

Memorial fund set up

As a tribute to his son, The Troy Pollett Memorial Fund has been set up by Steven Pollett in an effort to improve and enhance the Leland High School Athletic Department. “Troy's passion was athletics,” he explained. “He loved to work out, lift weights and play basketball. He loved physical fitness and wanted to go into that line of work. Since he's not going to be able to do that, we felt that by putting this fund together, we could honor his memory and keep him alive, both at the school and in our hearts. We are hoping to really do some good with this.”

“Troy had a real strong interest in physical fitness here,” explained Leland counselor Bob Heinrich. “That was his career goal and the money from this fund will be used to improve the facilities here at Leland.”

Donations can be sent to The Troy Pollett Memorial Fund, c/o Greater Bay Private Capitol Banking, 400 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, CA 94031. For more information, call (650) 614-5703.

Services

Funeral arrangements have been made and will begin with a viewing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday at Oak Hill Memorial Park, followed by a 1 p.m. funeral on Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Camden Avenue, which will feature a limited open microphone segment for those wishing to voice their condolences. Internment will commence immediately afterward at Oak Hill Memorial Park. Leland High School officials have announced that school will be let out early on Friday so that students can attend the funeral.