SJPD Sgt. Matt Walsh was shot twice by an armed robbery suspect who fled from authorities into an unaware family’s home on Tuesday. (San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan)
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A San Jose Police Department sergeant who was hit twice in a shootout with an armed suspect earlier in the week has been released from the hospital after days of medical treatment.
Police sergeant returns home
What we know:
SJPD Sgt. Matt Walsh was released from the hospital on Saturday evening, according to a statement from the police department and from San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
"On behalf of your community, a grateful city, and your brothers and sisters, thank you, Sergeant Walsh, for fighting through to keep San Jose safe and for making sure your team returns home safely at the end of each shift," the SJPD said in a statement. "We know your journey through recovery will be a fight you’ll tackle with the same focus and bravery."
The shootout
The backstory:
Walsh was shot twice by an armed robbery suspect who fled from authorities into an unaware family’s home on Tuesday.
Police had been tracking the suspect – who was subsequently identified as 39-year-old Anthony Chavez of Campbell – since Aug. 16 when the man allegedly stole a gold 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe from the 3000 block of Copperfield Drive.
Chavez allegedly used the stolen car to rob several people in the city until authorities on Tuesday caught up to and tried to block Chavez as he sat in the stolen Tahoe in the area of Pomona and San Jose avenues.
Chavez fled from police and eventually crashed the stolen Tahoe into parked cars in the area of Goodyear Street and Lick Avenue, where he fled on foot into the surrounding neighborhood. He then entered the backyard of a home in the 400 block of Goodyear Street and jumped a fence into another yard, where he entered the unlocked back door of a home.
Police entered the house and found a family inside who had no idea that Chavez had fled into their home. Police evacuated a father and his two young children who were inside.
Authorities found Chavez hiding in a small bathroom, and they attempted to subdue him using a flashbang.
However, Chavez allegedly opened fire as the officers entered the room, striking Walsh twice before Walsh and another officer returned fire.
Chavez died at the scene.
Walsh was hospitalized in critical condition, but was stabilized the same day.
The Source: Information for this article came from statements from the San Jose Police Department and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, along with previous KTVU reporting.