San Jose police reported a wild chain of events – an officer rammed by a stolen car, another officer shooting at teen suspects and an attempted carjacking – in the early morning hours of Oct. 19 that led to the arrest of three San Jose teenagers.
Miraculously, the officer escaped serious injuries and alleged car thieves – ages 14, 14 and 15 – were not injured, police said.
It all began at 2:54am on Oct. 19, when two patrol officers stopped an SUV near Santa Clara Street at North 21st Street for a possible vehicle code violation.
When the officers got out of their patrol vehicle, the SUV rammed one of the officers as he approached the vehicle, and the other officer shot once into the SUV as it sped away.
Emergency vehicles arrived, and determined the wounded officer did not have life-threatening injuries. Officers then discovered the SUV was “an unreported stolen vehicle,” and alerted all patrols to be on the lookout for the SUV with three males inside.
With the assistance of Automated License Plate Reader cameras, the suspect vehicle was later located – unoccupied – in the area of Lucretia Avenue and Tully Road.
Within minutes, patrol officers were flagged down by a man who reported an attempted carjacking in the 2300 block of Balme Drive involving three males matching the description of the suspects from the initial incident.
The man told officers he was a driver for a rideshare company, and said three suspicious young men had run towards his vehicle, then he chased them away.
After officers searched the area, they located three teenagers hiding nearby and took them into custody. They were identified and officers discovered the suspected driver of the stolen SUV was 14 years old, and his passengers were 14 and 16.
Officers confirmed that none of the suspects had been struck by the shot fired into the SUV, then booked them into Juvenile Hall. The alleged driver of the SUV was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle, and the other two juvenile suspects were booked for obstructing a peace officer and for possession of a stolen vehicle.
As with all SJPD officer-involved shootings, an investigation is being conducted by detectives and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. The incident is also being reviewed administratively by Internal Affairs, the City Attorney’s Office, and the Office of the Independent Police Auditor.
