San Jose Police Shoot At 2 Robbery Suspects In Separate Incidents
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Two separate officer-involved shootings in San Jose early Friday morning ended in the hospitalization of one suspect struck by police gunfire and the arrest of a teen armed with a replica gun.
The first shooting occurred around 1 a.m. after officers spotted a car matching a suspect vehicle description in the armed robbery of a woman on Coyote Creek Court less than 10 minutes earlier, according to police.
San Jose Police Involved in Two Officer Involved Shootings Within a Matter of Hours
Two officers patrolling the area saw the car parked in a lot near the intersection of McKee and North King roads, police said.
As the unmarked patrol vehicle approached, one occupant of the suspect car got out and fled, and the driver sped away, heading south on North King Road, according to police.
The car came to a stop a short time later after crashing into a chain-link fence near the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and North King Road.
When one of the officers exited the patrol car, the suspect reversed his car, pinning the officer behind the patrol car's passenger door, police said.
"Believing he was going to be crushed by the suspect's vehicle," the officer fired his gun at the suspect, police said.
The suspect suffered multiple gunshot wounds but was again able to drive away in his car and briefly lost the officers, police said.
The officers quickly located the driver outside of his car and took him into custody.
The suspect, a 23-year-old San Jose man whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. An update on his condition was not available Friday afternoon.
The officer who fired at the suspect was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
About four hours later, officers responded to reports of a male suspect who brandished a handgun at a worker at the Safeway store at 1300 W. San Carlos St. after the employee confronted him about stealing beer, Dwyer said.
Police received additional reports a short time later of a suspect in the area who wielded a handgun at a passing motorist, according to police.
Officers located a man matching the suspect description standing in the roadway at the intersection of West San Carlos Street and Lincoln Avenue, police said.
Police said two officers attempted to speak to the suspect "from a safe distance" and saw the handle of what appeared to be a handgun sticking out of his waistband.
When the officers demanded the suspect to get on the ground, he instead grabbed his weapon and pointed it at them, police said.
Feeling threatened, one of the officers opened fire on the suspect, according to police.
The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Raymond Cardenas of San Jose, was not hit by the gunfire.
The officers were able to take Cardenas into custody and learned that his gun was an Airsoft replica pistol.
He was booked into county jail on suspicion of armed robbery, brandishing a weapon at an occupied vehicle and brandishing a weapon at a peace officer.
The officer involved in the first shooting has eight years of law enforcement experience, while the second officer has ten years of experience, according to police.
Both officers involved in the shootings will be put on administrative leave, as is standard procedure in the event of an officer-involved shooting, Dwyer said.
San Jose police and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office will investigate both shootings.
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