A green Corvette stolen from a dealership sparked a multi-county pursuit that ended in gunfire near Highway 87.
SAN JOSE, CA — A San Jose police sergeant was shot and a suspected carjacker was killed Wednesday after a pursuit that began in San Jose, rolled through Hollister, and ended in downtown San Jose near Highway 87 and West Julian Street, authorities said.
Police said the incident began midafternoon when an armed man stole a green Corvette from a San Jose auto dealership. An SJPD helicopter tracked the vehicle south into San Benito County, where Hollister police and sheriff’s deputies pursued the suspect. The chase later returned to Santa Clara County and ended with a shootout in downtown San Jose, where the sergeant was hit and the suspect was fatally wounded. The sergeant was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and was listed in critical but stable condition Wednesday evening. The suspect’s name was not immediately released. Multiple agencies, including the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, are investigating.
Shortly after 2 p.m., police received reports that a man entered a dealership near the 900 block of Capitol Expressway with a handgun and took the Corvette. By about 2:45 p.m., an SJPD helicopter had located the car in Hollister, where officers began a slow-speed pursuit. The Corvette became disabled near Buena Vista Road and Westside Boulevard, and the driver, still armed, fled on foot. Hollister officers reported an exchange of gunfire, with no officers injured. Deputies later encountered the suspect near Line Street, where another burst of shots was reported. The suspect then carjacked a second vehicle at gunpoint and drove north toward San Jose, firing at units along the way, authorities said. Near downtown, the suspect crashed into another car by West Julian Street and Notre Dame Avenue, got out and fired at officers. A San Jose police sergeant was struck in the exchange; officers returned fire. As the suspect tried to reach another vehicle, he was run over by a patrol car and died at the scene, police said. “About 40 rounds of gunfire popped off,” said witness Grant Messinger, who was stopped nearby.
San Jose police spokesperson Sgt. Jorge Garibay said the wounded sergeant is expected to survive. He said investigators are gathering security video and body-worn camera footage and interviewing officers from several departments who engaged the suspect at different points along the route. Garibay said the pursuit crossed jurisdictional lines multiple times as the suspect moved between San Jose, Hollister and the unincorporated stretches in between. CHP reported closures on Highway 87 at Julian Street during the downtown response, and the Sheriff’s Office assisted with securing blocks around Notre Dame Avenue and Terraine Street as detectives documented shell casings and mapped bullet strikes. Police did not release the number of officers who fired or the total number of shots. The second vehicle taken in Hollister was recovered; details about its owner were not immediately available. No bystanders were reported injured.
Records and previous statements indicate SJPD and neighboring agencies have coordinated on similar multi-jurisdiction pursuits when aerial units first spot a suspect beyond city limits. Wednesday’s case unfolded quickly, with the first carjacking report around 2:37 p.m. and the final exchange of gunfire roughly two hours later in the city’s downtown core. Residents described a cascade of sirens entering San Jose from the south before police blocked intersections around West Julian Street. The setting — an area of offices, restaurants and freeway ramps — created traffic backups as evening commuters tried to reroute. The suspected gunman was also believed by investigators to be connected to other recent armed robberies and carjackings in the region, according to initial police briefings. Authorities did not immediately specify where those earlier crimes occurred or whether any arrests or warrants were pending before Wednesday.
Officer-involved shootings in Santa Clara County are reviewed under a multi-agency protocol. The San Jose Police Department said its homicide unit and crime scene specialists are leading the scene work in coordination with the District Attorney’s Office. All involved SJPD officers will be placed on routine administrative leave while statements are taken and evidence is processed. Investigators from Hollister police and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office will compile their own reports on the earlier exchanges of gunfire and the carjackings that happened in their jurisdictions. Because officers reported the suspect was armed during multiple encounters, a state-level review under California’s AB 1506 — which covers fatal police shootings of unarmed civilians — does not automatically apply. A formal identification of the suspect and cause of death will come from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner after notification of next of kin. Police did not say when they would release body camera footage, which is typically published after preliminary interviews are completed.
As dusk fell, police taped off blocks near West Julian and Notre Dame while forensics teams photographed vehicles with bullet damage. On the freeway shoulder above, commuters peered over the rail as CHP units turned cars away from the closed stretch of Highway 87. “We heard a burst, then a pause, then more shots,” said Laura Hernandez, who works nearby and took shelter behind a lobby desk. Downtown workers described officers shouting commands as they advanced on the intersection. Neighbors in Hollister said patrol cars swarmed Westside Boulevard after the Corvette rolled to a stop earlier in the afternoon. “It was like the whole day moved north,” said Daniel Rios, who watched the chase pass his block before it headed back toward San Jose.
As of Wednesday night, the sergeant remained hospitalized and the downtown scene was still active while detectives canvassed for additional witnesses and video. Highway 87 lanes near Julian Street reopened in stages after evidence technicians finished measurements. Officials said additional updates would follow once investigators complete overnight interviews and confirm the chain of events across both counties.
Author note: Last updated January 21, 2026.