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Police sergeant recovering in the hospital
A barrage of gunfire erupted in San Jose on Wednesday, sending a police sergeant to the hospital. The shootout was the result of an hours-long pursuit of a carjacking suspect spanning multiple counties. The suspect was killed in that chaotic confrontation.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A San Jose police sergeant is in critical but stable condition, and a suspect is dead following a multi-county chase tied to an armed carjacking on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Sergeant wounded in San Jose
What we know:
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SJPD sergeant in critical condition after shot by carjacking suspect
A San Jose police sergeant is in critical condition on Wednesday after being shot by an armed carjacking suspect during a pursuit.
The San Jose Police Department confirmed at 4:19 p.m. that a sergeant was shot while responding to the incident. The sergeant was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and is expected to recover.
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San Jose officer shot following armed carjacking
Authorities said a SJPD sworn member, an officer, was shot following an armed carjacking.
Bay Area carjacking leads to chase in Hollister
Dig deeper:
The violence stemmed from an armed carjacking at a dealership in San Jose at 900 Capital Expressway. The suspect allegedly took a Corvette.
Hollister police officers and San Benito County sheriff’s deputies were notified around 2:48 p.m. that a San Jose police helicopter was tracking a vehicle involved in the carjacking.
Officers later located the vehicle near Central Avenue and Miller Road and engaged in a slow-speed pursuit that ended near Buena Vista Road and Westside Boulevard after the vehicle became disabled.
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Multiple shootouts
Police said the suspect, armed with a handgun, abandoned the vehicle and fired at Hollister officers. No officers were injured.
The suspect fled and was later located near Buena Vista Road and Line Street, where sheriff’s deputies also exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Deputies were unharmed.
Authorities said the suspect then carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint and fled Hollister toward San Jose, firing shots from the vehicle at California Highway Patrol officers during the pursuit.
A law enforcement source told KTVU the suspect is wanted for multiple robberies in East Palo Alto and San Mateo.
Deadly encounter in San Jose
Local perspective:
The chase ended near the intersection of Julian and Terraine streets, just off Highway 87, where more gunfire erupted.
The suspect was killed during the exchange, and the San Jose police sergeant was wounded by gunfire from the suspect. Neither the suspect killed, nor the sergeant injured have been identified.
Bystanders reported hearing 20 to 30 gunshots in the San Jose neighborhood.
San Jose police said at a news conference that its officers were not involved in the pursuit until the chase reentered their jurisdiction. However, a San Jose helicopter was involved. The helicopter monitored the suspect's vehicle to provide information to outside units as well as to San Jose police.
Traffic impacts
The investigation forced the closure of a portion of Highway 87 for several hours. Authorities advised commuters to expect significant delays and use alternate routes.
Police said the streets would likely be closed until the early morning hours.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Bystander video
In a video of the shooting shared on social media, the suspect is seen entering a police vehicle before exiting. Officers have their weapons drawn at the busy intersection. Then the suspect appears to have been shot, and more than a dozen officers rush towards the suspect. Police at a news conference said they did not have information on whether the suspect entered a police vehicle.
There is also video of the suspect, which appears to show him running away, falling to the ground and then getting run over by a police car. Police said the suspect was trying to carjack another vehicle before he was struck by the police cruiser.
"Whenever you have a violent individual armed...taking vehicles, firing indiscriminately...if there wasn't a stop to this, I can only imagine how much longer this would have gone," Sgt. Garibay said.
SJPD at a news conference said the medical examiner would determine the manner in which the suspect was killed.
Warning: Some viewers may find the following video graphic. Discretion is advised.
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Gunfire erupts in San Jose, wounding police sergeant, killing suspect
A police sergeant was wounded and a suspect was killed Wednesday in San Jose. A viewer submitted video of the moments gunfire rang out.
Sergeant recovering
A source told KTVU that the sergeant underwent surgery and is in the intensive care unit.
"We're thankful to the hospital staff that's provided him with rapid and urgent critical care and we're thankful for the good news they're going to survive," said SJPD Sgt. Jorge Garibay at an evening news conference.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said the SJPD chief of police told him that the first thing the sergeant said when he arrived at the hospital was, "Make sure someone takes care of my dogs."
What's next:
San Jose police said there would be a follow-up news conference on this shooting within the next couple of days.
The Source: This story was written based on information from the San Jose Police Department, law enforcement sources, and the Hollister Police Department.