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Man arrested after shooting flare gun at San Mateo cop car

By KTVU Staff
Published  February 16, 2022 2:44pm PST
San Mateo
KTVU FOX 2

Man arrested for firing flare gun at San Mateo officer

Yasuhito Oshima, a San Mateo resident, was arrested after an officer was driving on South Delaware Street near Cypress Avenue around 9 p.m. Tuesday when he heard and saw "a bright red burning object speed by his vehicle's windshield."

SAN MATEO, Calif. - A 44-year-old man who allegedly filmed himself shooting a flare gun over San Mateo police headquarters and sent it to government agencies last month was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly shooting a flare gun at a passing police patrol car.

Yasuhito Oshima, a San Mateo resident, was arrested after an officer was driving on South Delaware Street near Cypress Avenue around 9 p.m. Tuesday when he heard and saw "a bright red burning object speed by his vehicle's windshield," San Mateo police said in a news release.

Suspect shoots flare at San Mateo police building

Police arrested a suspect named Yasuhito Oshima who they believe fired a flare at a San Mateo police officer's patrol car, and in another incident, over a San Mateo police building. Police released a video of the shooting near the building.

The officer got out of his vehicle and found someone sitting at a bench at a bus stop. The person, later identified as Oshima, had a flare gun lying on the ground and placed it in his pocket after noticing the officer, according to police.

Oshima was arrested and a search discovered the flare gun in his jacket pocket as well as the charred remains of a flare nearby. He was booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of discharging a firearm with gross negligence, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and assault on a peace officer with a firearm, police said.

Investigators also identified Oshima as the person who sent an email on Jan. 27 to multiple San Mateo County departments that showed someone discharging a flare gun over a building. San Mateo police determined the building was their headquarters on Franklin Parkway and that the email was associated with Oshima.

A subsequent search of Oshima's home following his arrest led to the discovery of a Taser stun gun, a mace pepper gun and an empty flare cartridge, according to police.