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A violent armed carjacking that began with stolen Corvettes and stretched across multiple counties ended in a deadly shootout Wednesday, wounding a veteran San Jose police sergeant and killing the suspect, authorities said.
San Jose police said Thursday the sergeant is in good spirits and recovering in a hospital after being shot by a gunman during the multi-agency incident. He was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he remains in critical but stable condition and is expected to recover.
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph identified the suspect as 30-year-old Mohamed Husien of Davis, California. Joseph said the suspect’s crime spree began Jan. 17 in Sacramento, where he allegedly stole a red Corvette before traveling into the Bay Area and carrying out a series of robberies across multiple jurisdictions.
Authorities say the violence escalated Wednesday after the suspect carried out another armed carjacking at a San Jose auto mall, stealing a green Corvette.
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Police said SJPD’s Real Time Intelligence Center flagged the stolen red Corvette using automated license plate reader cameras and provided patrol officers with recent locations of the vehicle in San Jose ahead of the shootout.
A San Jose police helicopter tracked the suspect as he traveled south into San Benito County, alerting Hollister police and sheriff’s deputies around 2:48 p.m. Officers later located the vehicle near Central Avenue and Miller Road and engaged in a slow-speed pursuit that ended near Buena Vista Road and Westside Boulevard after the car became disabled.
Police say the suspect, armed with a handgun, abandoned the vehicle and fired at officers before fleeing on foot. He was later confronted near Buena Vista Road and Line Street, where sheriff’s deputies also exchanged gunfire. Authorities said the suspect then carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint and fled back toward San Jose, firing shots at California Highway Patrol officers during the pursuit.
A law enforcement source told KTVU the suspect was wanted in multiple robberies in East Palo Alto and San Mateo. The chase ended near Julian and Terraine streets, just off Highway 87, where another exchange of gunfire erupted.
Police say the suspect was killed during that confrontation, and the San Jose police sergeant was wounded by gunfire from the suspect. Bystanders reported hearing 20 to 30 gunshots in the neighborhood, and a portion of Highway 87 was closed for several hours as investigators processed the scene.
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San Jose police said their officers were not involved in the pursuit until it reentered city limits, though a department helicopter monitored the suspect throughout, relaying information to outside agencies and SJPD units.
Video circulating on social media appears to show the suspect entering and exiting a police vehicle before collapsing as officers rushed toward him. Police said they could not immediately confirm whether the suspect entered a patrol vehicle and added that the medical examiner will determine the manner of death.
“Every officer involved in yesterday’s harrowing incident will carry the heaviness of what happened for the rest of their lives,” Joseph said. “Some members of the public who were caught in the crossfire described it as the closest thing to war they have ever witnessed, and that gives you a sense of how intense and terrifying those moments were, not just for officers, but for the community.”
In a statement shared with KGO, San Jose Police Officers’ Association President Steve Slack praised officers for their response, calling the actions of the wounded sergeant and others “incredible bravery.”
“The incredible bravery exhibited by every officer, especially the SJPD sergeant who was shot and hospitalized after confronting the dangerous criminal, was on full display,” Slack said. He added the suspect “had no regard for anyone’s life and endangered hundreds of innocent people during his multiple-county crime spree.”
Slack said officers “ran toward gunfire and ultimately eliminated the threat,” adding the injured sergeant “is in good spirits, and we are supporting him and his family in every way we can.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said the officer’s first words after arriving at the hospital were, “Make sure someone takes care of my dogs,” calling it a reflection of the character of the department and the risks officers take to protect the community.
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“That’s the kind of person he is,” Mahan said. “That’s the kind of people we have on our San Jose police force, people who put their lives on the line to protect our families during the day and then go home at night to take care of their own families.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
Fox News Digital reached out to the San Jose Police Department for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to [email protected].
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