Police say the suspect, identified as a 30-year-old man from Davis, fired at officers in Hollister and San Jose before he was killed.
SAN JOSE, CA— A multi-day string of robberies and carjackings across Northern California ended Thursday with a chaotic shootout in downtown San Jose that left a police sergeant wounded and the suspect dead, authorities said. The pursuit crossed several cities, included two exchanges of gunfire in Hollister, and finished near West Julian Street in the city’s core.
Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Mohamed Husien of Davis. Investigators said the spree began Jan. 17 when a red Corvette was stolen from a Sacramento-area dealership and continued with armed robberies in multiple counties. On Wednesday afternoon, officers say Husien carjacked a bright green Corvette at gunpoint in San Jose, triggering a pursuit that stretched south into San Benito County, then back north into San Jose during the evening commute. The case is now under review by multiple agencies, and the officers involved were placed on standard administrative leave while investigators collect video, dispatch audio and shell casings from several scenes.
The timeline moved quickly. Shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, automatic license plate readers flagged the red Corvette in San Jose, but patrol units could not immediately find it, police said. Minutes later, staff at a local dealership reported an armed carjacking of the green Corvette by a man with a handgun and an extended magazine. Officers located the vehicle heading south and followed on highways and local roads into Hollister, where the driver stopped briefly in a residential area. Police Chief Paul Joseph said the suspect pointed a firearm at approaching officers, and shots were fired. The man fled again, carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint, and sped back toward Santa Clara County.
As the chase reentered San Jose near dusk, officers from multiple agencies converged downtown. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed near West Julian Street by Notre Dame Avenue. Witnesses said they heard a rapid series of gunshots and saw officers take cover behind patrol cars. During the confrontation, a San Jose police sergeant was struck in the head, suffering a skull fracture but remaining conscious, according to authorities. Joseph said the suspect tried to force his way into a marked patrol SUV and still held a handgun as officers fired. A patrol car also struck the suspect amid the struggle. He was pronounced dead at the scene following medical evaluation. The sergeant was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Thursday.
In Hollister, officials said two separate exchanges of gunfire occurred earlier in the day after the pursuit first reached San Benito County. The first happened near a traffic stop on a neighborhood street when the armed driver refused commands, raised his weapon and officers fired. He drove off, then a second confrontation followed near a commercial area as additional units joined the search. No bystanders were reported hurt in those shootings. Investigators recovered a handgun fitted with an extended magazine and are testing ballistic evidence to determine which rounds were fired where. Detectives are also mapping the route of the green Corvette and the later getaway car to connect the robberies that preceded the chase.
Police said the spree traces back to Jan. 17, when the red Corvette was taken in Sacramento. Over the next several days, armed robberies were reported in parts of the Bay Area and Northern California that matched the suspect’s description and vehicle. On Wednesday morning, San Jose officers circulated a bulletin to patrol shifts after license plate cameras pinged the earlier stolen Corvette in the city limits. The green Corvette carjacking later that day set off the chase. Officials said nine San Jose officers and sergeants ultimately discharged their weapons downtown. All were wearing activated body cameras. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the San José Police Department’s Homicide Unit and Internal Affairs, and the Independent Police Auditor are reviewing what happened, including when and where each shot was fired.
The investigation will proceed on several tracks. Detectives are compiling surveillance video from the dealership, freeway cameras and nearby businesses; downloading patrol car dashcam footage; and interviewing witnesses from Hollister and downtown San Jose. They are also comparing shell casings from each scene and awaiting firearms tracing results. Autopsy findings will determine the official cause and manner of death. Officials said they expect to release body-worn camera footage on a statutory timeline after initial interviews are complete. The department plans to brief the public again early next week and to provide updated counts of robbery and carjacking victims tied to the case.
Residents described the downtown gunfire as sudden and overwhelming. “It sounded like a war zone for a few seconds,” said Marcella Ramos, who was walking on North San Pedro Street when the shots rang out. In Hollister, a neighbor said she saw officers take cover behind trucks as they shouted commands at the armed driver before he sped away. Outside the crime scenes, yellow tape ringed several blocks while detectives placed numbered markers beside bullet fragments and shattered glass. Tow trucks later removed the damaged vehicles as crews pressure-washed the street. By Thursday morning, commuters found lanes reopened but police still guarding evidence points near Julian and nearby intersections.
As of Friday morning, the sergeant wounded in the head was recovering in good spirits, according to police, and no civilian injuries had been reported. Authorities said they would release more details on the number of robberies and carjackings attributed to the suspect once victim interviews are complete. The next scheduled update is expected early next week after investigators review additional video and lab results.
Author note: Last updated January 23, 2026.