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<\/p>\nAt 5:43pm Tuesday, San Jose Police Sgt. Matt Walsh and his 10-person tactical team had their suspect \u2013 wanted for two weekend armed robberies in the Tambien Park neighborhood \u2013 cornered at San Jose and Pomona Avenues.<\/p>\n
Then the stolen bronze Chevy Tahoe broke loose, bouncing off parked cars in a wild five-minute chase through neighborhood streets, losing its police pursuers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
San Jose Police Paul Joseph at Aug. 26 press conference about police shooting of an armed robbery suspect. Photo from YouTube streaming of police press conference.<\/p>\n
The big SUV \u2013 filled with items stolen at gunpoint from a bank parking lot on Aug. 22 and a shopping center parking lot on Aug. 23 \u2013 slammed to a stop against parked cars at Goodyear and Lick Avenues. The driver \u2013 39-year-old Anthony Chavez, armed with a silver handgun \u2013 grabbed some loot and headed into backyards, jumping a fence and into the back door of a stranger\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
A vigilant Air Three police helicopter led Walsh\u2019s Mobile Emergency Response Group to the house, where the tactical squad quickly rescued a man and two children.<\/p>\n
Within minutes, Chavez fired his silver handgun when Walsh, leading the way, crashed through a bathroom door. Chavez was killed by police gunfire that followed. Walsh, with two wounds from gunshots that missed his vest, walked outside and calmly asked for a ride to the hospital.<\/p>\n
Walsh, a 19-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department, was reported in stable condition this evening. Chavez was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the dramatic narrative recounted today at an afternoon press briefing by San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph \u2013 12 minutes of terror that broke the serenity of an August night, ending with a flash-bang grenade and shots in a small bathroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve watched the body-worn camera of that gunfight in that small bathroom, and what unfolded in that extraordinary confined space was chilling,\u201d Joseph told a roomful of reporters and cameras. \u201c What was equally striking was Sgt. Walsh\u2019s composure after being shot \u2013 he continued communicating and directing his team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The police chief praised the courage, diligence and professionalism of his officers, from Walsh\u2019s courage and leadership to the MERGE unit\u2019s rescuing of potential hostages to the detectives who pored over license plate reader videos to the helicopter crew that spotted the fleeing felon.<\/p>\n
But Joseph also noted that Tuesday\u2019s mayhem was the second officer-involved shooting of 2026, that Walsh was the 15th city police officer to be shot or shot at in the last five years and that San Jose officers take about 1,000 illegal firearms off the streets every year.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the system.<\/p>\n
The San Jose police chief told reporters that Chavez had committed four armed robberies in 2011, and was sentenced in 2016 to 23 years in prison.<\/p>\n
Then he was re-sentenced, and paroled last year.<\/p>\n
In April, six months after he was released on parole, a San Jose police officer spotted Chavez driving a stolen vehicle that had been taken in a residential burglary, Joseph said.<\/p>\n
He said Chavez was then released\u00a0 \u2013 over the objection of Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. A warrant was issued for Chavez\u2019 arrest when he didn\u2019t report for a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and didn\u2019t show up for his court date.<\/p>\n
\u201cChavez should have been in custody, but instead he was out committing the robberies\u2026 and he shot Sergeant Walsh,\u201d said Joseph.<\/p>\n
His sentiment was echoed by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. \u201cI sincerely hope that everyone in our criminal justice system thinks harder about how we ensure accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
And by Rosen, who issued this statement today:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hearts are with the officer as he recovers from this shooting. Our prosecutors and investigators are, as we are tasked to do, hard at work evaluating this event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can, however, conclude something right away: This long-term criminal should never have been free to commit more crimes and violence against anyone, let alone one of San Jose\u2019s finest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe objected to his release. The laws on bail are rapidly changing, making it harder to keep even dangerous defendants behind bars. However, judges still have important discretion in weighing the risk of releasing repeat serious criminal offenders. We join members of our community and law enforcement in reminding judges that the stakes are \u2013 as this case illustrates \u2013 literally life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n