UPDATE: Suspect In Attempted Armed Carjacking Killed In Shootout With San Jose Police
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – A man suspected of stealing a vehicle and then attempting to carjack a second car was killed in a shootout with San Jose police officers in the city's Rose Garden neighborhood Wednesday night.
The shooting, which happened a few minutes after 7 p.m. in the area of W. Hedding Street and Park Avenue, followed after officers received a LoJack notification about a stolen car in East San Jose earlier in the evening, said San Jose Police Department Spokesperson Sgt. Christian Camarillo.
Camarillo said the vehicle was then tracked by airship into Santa Clara, where the suspect attempted to carjack another vehicle.
The victim of the attempted carjacking was able to get away, Camarillo said, and the suspect was not able to steal the car.
Police said the suspect returned to the stolen car he was originally driving before heading back into San Jose where he caused a "serious traffic collision" in the intersection of Hedding and Park.
Lawrence Rust lives one block from where the shooting happened. "It went from sort of pop, pop, pop and then all of a sudden there was a whole lot," he told KPIX 5.
"It was loud, we could hear it through our kitchen window," said Gavin Rust.
According to Camarillo, the suspect immediately began firing at officers who arrived on scene moments later. Officers then returned fire, striking the suspect at least once.
"I mean there was a few shots at first and then a rapid succession," said Jordan Princeau who witnessed the collision.
"It happened so fast, shots were fired before I even knew what was going on, I was honestly ducking and covering if there was any stray bullets going anywhere."
Gavin, 15, said he went outside to see what happened and that's when he saw a car engulfed in flames.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. His identity has not been released.
The officers were not hurt, police said. The two people inside the vehicle struck by the suspect had minor to moderate injuries and were being treated at the hospital.
As of late Wednesday night, streets in the area remained closed due to the investigation.
Maria Cid Medina contributed reporting.
