Police were investigating whether a man in custody could be involved in the shooting of random cars containing motorists in San Jose, California.
That report, from NBC Bay Area, said, police “are trying to determine if a man brought into custody Sunday morning following a police pursuit is the serial shooter.”
However, NBC Bay Area reported later on Aug. 15 that “Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia seemed to back off from positively identifying the man taken into custody as the man responsible for a string of shootings.” It remained under investigation.
When asked about the latest report, Garcia told Heavy on Aug. 15: “As of now, we have not connected anyone to the shootings.”
#SanJose #California San Jose Police Backing Off From Saying Serial Shooter in Custody
The shooter has been firing bullets at cars for months, although no one has been killed. SFGate says the mystery shooter is firing at motorists in a “busy traffic corridor.”
The San Jose police press release says, “Since July 5, 2016, SJPD has identified six additional incidents involving shootings at occupied vehicles on or near the Blossom Hill Road corridor. In each of the six new shooting incidents no one reported being injured.”
The police release continued that “SJPD has dedicated a significant amount of police personnel to conduct follow-up investigation to determine the source of the gunfire. Officers have canvassed the area and distributed flyers to residents asking for help and information. Detectives continue to conduct interviews, collect evidence and analyze data in hopes of identifying the suspect(s).”
The man, who has not been identified, was arrested after a police pursuit early Sunday near Blossom Hill Road and Snell Avenue; police tried to stop the vehicle but the driver fled and led them on a chase through South San Jose before being caught, said NBC Bay Area.
The attacks started in May, and occur in the darkness.
At least 10 motorists were targeted in the shootings, which occurred along a stretch of Blossom Hill Road, San Jose police said, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
“In the latest string of shootings, none of the drivers were injured, but their vehicles were each hit by a single bullet, police said,” according to the newspaper.
The most recent incident occurred Aug. 5, and the shootings have escalated in the last three weeks.
San Jose police have sought the public’s help in identifying the serial shooter. KTVU says the shooter strikes between midnight and about 3:20 a.m.
The shootings have terrified local residents. One wrote on the police department’s Facebook page: “We need batman to fight the freedom of crime at city of San Jose ????”
San Jose is not the only community seeking a serial shooter. In Phoenix, police are seeking a mystery shooter who fires randomly at people standing outside their homes; seven people have died. The Phoenix area was also terrorized by a freeway shooter targeting random motorists.
