The man fled from police and stole another car from a person at gunpoint, Hollister police said, before he headed north back toward San José. While on the highway, police said the man “engaged the California Highway Patrol with more gunfire, firing out the window of his vehicle.”
The man arrived at the downtown San José intersection in a white car, colliding with another vehicle while being pursued by police and other local authorities.
Videos posted online show he got out of the car and was nearly struck by a police car. The man, whose gun had an extended magazine, and a sergeant fired at each other at close range.
One bullet struck the sergeant in the head, fracturing his skull, Joseph said Thursday. The suspect jumped into the driver’s seat of the police car. He then exited, running toward a highway off-ramp, while more shots rang out. The man fell and, moments later, another police vehicle barreled over him.
Another long volley of shooting followed, with a swarm of officers rushing forward, guns pointed at the man on the ground.
The exterior of the San José Police Department headquarters on April 18, 2024. (Joseph Geha/KQED)
“That suspect was declared deceased at the scene,” San José Police Sgt. Jorge Garibay told reporters Wednesday evening. It wasn’t clear whether the man was killed by police gunfire, by the police vehicle, or by a combination of the two.
In total, three sergeants and six officers, with between four and 19 years of service, were involved in the use of force during the incident.
The sergeant who was struck by the man’s gunfire was taken to a local hospital for treatment. “The injuries are non-life-threatening and the sergeant is expected to survive,” Garibay said, thanking medical staff.
Days earlier, on Jan. 17, according to police, the suspect stole a red Corvette in Sacramento and proceeded to commit a string of four robberies, including on the Peninsula and in San Jose. Police located the red Corvette Wednesday using license plate readers and briefly pursued him but lost the car before the theft of the green Corvette was reported.
Steve Slack, the president of the San José Police Officers’ Association, the union representing officers in the city, said in a statement that the bravery of San José Police officers, including the sergeant, was “on full display” Wednesday.
San José Police Chief Paul Joseph speaks to the media during a Jan. 22, 2026 press conference about a police shooting in downtown that occurred Wednesday. (Joseph Geha/KQED)
“Clearly this criminal had no regard for anyone’s life and endangered hundreds of innocent people during his multiple county crime spree. Our officers displayed courage as they ran toward gunfire and ultimately eliminated the threat,” Slack said. The injured sergeant “is in good spirits and we are supporting him and his family in every way we can,” he said.
Sean Allen, the president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP, and a retired Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office sergeant, said the situation Wednesday was “tragic,” and raises a lot of questions about how it all unfolded, and police actions in both counties. Police and other authorities will need to be very transparent in their investigation of this incident, and share updates with the community, Allen said, especially surrounding the use of deadly force.