Erratic driver stop allegedly leads Santa Clara police to human trafficking

File photo of handcuffs on table. Close up of metal handcuffs File photo of handcuffs on table. Close up of metal handcuffs Photo: Rafe Swan / Getty Image Photo: Rafe Swan / Getty Image Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Erratic driver stop allegedly leads Santa Clara police to human trafficking 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

A man suspected of forcing a 17-year-old runaway into prostitution was arrested Saturday in Santa Clara after police pulled him over for erratic driving.

Taylor William Ward, 25, of Lathrop (San Joaquin County) was booked into jail on suspicion of human trafficking, child endangerment and pimping, said Capt. Wahid Kazem, a Santa Clara Police Department spokesman.

Police patrolling the area pulled Ward over in a gray Volkswagen Jetta about 5:30 p.m., when he sped out of a motel parking lot at El Camino Real and Kiely Boulevard, Kazem said. Another motorist reportedly had to hit the brakes to avoid crashing into the car.

Officers learned both Ward and his passenger, 25-year-old San Jose resident Markus Dajuan Geans, had outstanding warrants, which led them to search the vehicle and their motel room.

Ward’s warrants were for robbery and drug-related offenses, Kazem said, while Geans had warrants for weapons-related charges.

At the motel, officers found a 17-year-old girl who investigators learned was reported missing from an undisclosed city in San Joaquin County. She ran away with the men on Jan. 4 after meeting Ward on a social media website, Kazem said.

They traveled to Santa Ana, Modesto, Manteca, San Jose and Santa Clara during the last two weeks, paying for the motel rooms by selling marijuana, police said. The young woman told officers that Ward forced her into prostitution, police said.

“The proactive work of these officers really led to the discovery of this,” Kazeem said. “And took some pretty bad dudes off the street.”

The investigation is ongoing but police do not believe Ward is connected to a widespread operation. He is being held without bail at Santa Clara County Jail. Geans was held in lieu of $100,550 bail.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: jennajourno