Despite mostly peaceful holiday, San Jose police arrest 87 during Cinco de Mayo weekend
Police in San Jose said they took almost 100 people into custody over the Cinco de Mayo weekend for illegal activity, though the arrests were not related to any of the sanctioned activities that were held in the South Bay to celebrate the holiday.
"This weekend's sanctioned events were peaceful and well-attended family events," San Jose police said in a press release issued Tuesday. "However, the city experienced a high number of unrelated disruptive visitors who desired to create unsafe conditions for our officers and the public."
In addition to investigating a double stabbing early Sunday evening that injured a juvenile and left an adult male victim with life-threatening injuries, officers responded to "numerous physical fights, multiple sideshows events throughout the city, an alcohol related vehicle collision where the intoxicated suspect driver collided with a patrol vehicle injuring our officer, assaults on patrol officers, vandalism to patrol cars, and multiple firearms arrests."
Police said between Friday and Sunday, officers made a total of 17 felony arrests, 52 misdemeanor arrests as well as 18 warrant arrests, totaling 87 individuals taken into custody. A total of eight vehicles were impounded, 156 traffic citations were issued and six firearms were seized.
San Jose police said they deployed several traffic diversions over the course of Sunday to maintain public safety and discourage some of the illegal activity. The department noted that they had communicated about anticipated closures well ahead of the holiday to keep residents and business owners aware in addition to posting on social media regarding real-time traffic impacts and diversions.
"The San Jose Police Department developed a proactive approach to reducing gridlock and crime that relied on strategic traffic diversions as a key component," the release said. "These traffic diversions were only deployed when traffic gridlock was starting to occur, and/or when crowds started to become large and unruly enough that they presented a public safety issue."
Once public safety was restored, the traffic diversions were lifted.