Suspect killed in San Jose after car chase, multiple shootouts with Bay Area officers
A suspect in a carjacking was killed in San Jose after leading several Bay Area law enforcement agencies on a car chase, San Jose police said on Wednesday.
San Jose police Sgt. Jorge Garibay said the incident began at a San Jose dealership when the suspect entered with a gun and stole a vehicle around 2 p.m. The suspect then left the city and was spotted by a San Jose police helicopter in San Benito County.
Hollister police said they and San Benito County deputies were told around 2:48 p.m. that a San Jose police helicopter was following a vehicle that was taken by an armed carjacker. Hollister officers found the vehicle just before 3 p.m. near Central Avenue and Miller Road.
A slow-speed car chase ensued and ended near Buena Vista Road, at Westside Boulevard, when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle became disabled. Hollister police said the suspect got out of the car with a gun, and a shooting then occurred. No Hollister officers were injured.
Hollister police said the carjacker left the area following the shooting and was found by San Benito County deputies near Line Street, where another shooting happened. No deputies were injured, Hollister police said.
The suspect then took another vehicle at gunpoint and drove out of Hollister. While driving toward San Jose, the carjacker shot at California Highway Patrol officers. No CHP officers were injured.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said the chase ended in San Jose near Highway 87 and Julian Street.
CBS News Bay Area spoke to a witness at the scene who said he was driving on Notre Dame Avenue in San Jose when he saw two patrol cars speed past him and then stop at the nearby intersection. He said multiple other patrol cars then arrived in the area.
"About 40 rounds of gunfire popped off," Grant Messinger said. "It lasted maybe 30, 45 seconds of a firefight."
Garibay said the suspect had come to a stop after crashing into another vehicle. He then got out of his vehicle and shot at officers, who returned fire. He then tried to carjack another driver but was run over by a patrol vehicle, Garibay said. The suspect died at the scene.
Cellphone video obtained by CBS News Bay Area shows the suspect trying to get into a patrol vehicle in San Jose, running toward a different vehicle, but falling to the ground. He was then run over by a patrol vehicle, video shows.
A San Jose police sergeant was shot during the shootout near Highway 87 and Julian Street and is expected to survive.
"Chief Joseph told me that the first thing our officer said when he got to the hospital was, 'Make sure someone takes care of my dogs.' That's the kind of person he is. That's the kind of people we have on our @SanJosePD force. People who put their lives on the line to protect our families during the day, and then go home at night to take care of their own families. I had the opportunity to visit our officer soon after he arrived at the hospital. I told him and his family that my thoughts are with them and my prayers tonight will be for a full and fast recovery," San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said.
