Editor’s note: This article was updated to correct the cause of death of the suspect. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
A high-speed chase from San Jose to Hollister and back ended in the fatal shooting of a male suspect and the injury of a police officer on Jan. 21, according to the San Jose Police Department.
The suspect shot and injured a San Jose Police officer before being fatally struck by a patrol vehicle near San Jose’s Julian Street and Hwy 87, an SJPD spokesman said.
According to reports from police radio communication, the suspect allegedly stole a green Chevy Corvette from San Jose, and led a chase to Hollister, where he abandoned it and carjacked a white Honda Civic.
While driving the Civic in Hollister, the suspect evaded Hollister Police and Sheriff’s Office deputies in the area of Central Avenue and Line Street and led law enforcement on a chase on Hwy 156, San Felipe Road, Shore Road, Hwy 25 and northbound Hwy 101 where the two local patrols ended pursuit near the Leavesley Road exit.
Both a Hollister police officer and a San Benito County Sheriff’s deputy exchanged fire with the suspect during the chase in Hollister, and have reportedly been placed on “routine” administrative leave while the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office conducts an investigation into the officers’ “discharge of their weapons,” according to a Hollister PD release.
California Highway Patrol and Gilroy Police Department units continued to chase the suspect in Gilroy.
A San Jose Police Department helicopter was in aerial pursuit during the entirety of the chase.
Speeds reached 120 miles per hour, according to reports from the units pursuing the suspect.
Initial reports of the incident in Hollister led to the lockdown at Calaveras Elementary School around 3:09 p.m. which was about 30 minutes after school ended. Local law enforcement also shut down several roadways in the Buena Vista area.
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