Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested After Dramatic Chase In San Jose

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – Authorities in San Jose early Friday evening arrested the Scotts Valley bank robbery suspect who had successfully evaded police for over 30 hours.

Police had recovered a law enforcement vehicle that the suspect had stolen  shortly after 4 p.m. in North San Jose near the 700 block of North 7th Street. Authorities have set up a perimeter were able to close in on the subject.

Video shot by Chopper 5 showed the suspect fleeing SWAT teams and uniformed officers with K-9 units on foot, running along railroad tracks before ending up in at a construction site.

Chopper 5 captured video that showed the handcuffed suspect in police custody shortly after 5 p.m. Authorities said the suspect had sustained minor injuries over the course of the pursuit. Paramedics arrived on the scene to examine the suspect before he was taken away.

The suspect reportedly stole the unmarked law enforcement car at some point Friday afternoon, Santa Clara County sheriff's officials said.

Officials said around 2:30 p.m. that the man had stolen a 2009 silver Chevrolet Malibu, California license plate No. 3QWI051, from the Redwood Estates area in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where deputies have been searching for him since Thursday morning.

Authorities continued their search Friday for the dangerous suspect in the Santa Cruz Mountains after nearly arresting him in an early morning confrontation.

Police and CHP officers and Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies have been swarming the region since late Thursday morning when the search for the suspect shut down Highway 17 in both directions for most of the day.

Authorities said the suspect ended up in Aldercroft Heights Friday morning at about 2 a.m., where officers almost were able to arrest him.

KPIX 5 spoke with a man who happened upon the attempted arrest.

"The cops had him there, there were probably 3-4 cops at that time," said witness Matthew Troquato.

Troquato was in his car when he came across the confrontation between the suspect and the officers.

"The guy was in between me and the cops, so I wasn't about to wait around if they start shooting," said Troquato. "I just put it in reverse and backed it right up."

In the end, no shots were fired, but the suspected bank robber made another slippery getaway.

Thursday night at about 10:30 p.m., a homeowner had a frightening encounter with the suspect. Authorities said he broke into a home on Weaver Road in the hills above Los Gatos.

The woman who lives there came home and found the suspect armed with her hunting knife. He changed clothes and then took off in her van.

Authorities described the suspect as Hispanic with a thin build and groomed facial hair. He stands about 5 foot 9 inches tall and was last seen wearing a green beanie, blue gloves, a teal San Jose Sharks top, black and white shoes and dark pants.

All of this evasion of officers was done through windy, rugged, terrain. A combination of hiking on foot and driving on steeply perched, narrow roads in an area that doesn't normally see a lot of crime have kept the suspect out of custody.

Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies have been on the hunt for the suspect since he allegedly robbed a bank in Scotts Valley Thursday morning before fleeing north on state Highway 17, officials said.

The suspect hit several vehicles along the way during the pursuit. Scotts Valley police officers chased him over the hill into Santa Clara County. One of them opened fire on the suspect near Lexington Reservoir.

The suspect's car became disabled near Redwood Estates.

Highway 17 was closed in both directions through the Thursday evening commute as police searched for the suspect and cleared several cars that were struck by the getaway car during the pursuit.

Search efforts have been focused around the rural community of Redwood Estates, near the Lexington Reservoir.

The nearby Lexington Elementary School, which was placed on lockdown by sheriff's officials at 10:50 a.m. Thursday, canceled class as a safety precaution Friday. Los Gatos Union School District sent out a notification to parents at 6:50 a.m. Friday morning.

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• Bank Robbery
• Crime