SJPD attack: 7 arrested after SJPD cop attacked while responding to illegal protest, authorities say

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 2 minutes read

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — Seven people have been arrested weeks after a police officer was attacked during a show in the South Bay.

The suspects were seen jumping on his police car and vandalizing it while he was inside.

Authorities now say they have arrested all those responsible.

Still images taken from a video posted on social media helped lead to the arrests.

“If you attack a San Jose police officer who is trying to help an injured person, in order to become TikTok famous, you may escape consequences for hours or days, but rest assured that we will find you and arrest you,” said San Jose Police Department Interim Chief Paul Joseph. “We will send a resounding message to you and your fellow lawbreakers. Not in San Jose.”

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The arrests were announced more than two weeks after a June 15 protest turned violent in the area of Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue, near Santana Row in San Jose.

Police say the suspects climbed into a patrol vehicle, stomped on the windshield, smashed the side windows and tried to open the doors.

They say the officer was trying to help a concertgoer who had been hit by a vehicle and was unconscious.

It was then that the officer's vehicle was surrounded.

The owner of a clothing store next to the stage had just closed when the show happened. He said he only found out the next day.

“I was in total shock because I knew I was there just minutes earlier,” said Jim Thomas, owner of Eli Thomas Menswear, “and nothing like this ever happens on this side of town.”

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ABC7 is not showing photos of the suspects at the time of their arrest or giving their names because they have not yet been formally charged. The suspects range in age from 16 to 26.

Police believe they have arrested all the people who damaged the car and attacked the officer.

“We first arrested the driver who was doing donuts and hit the pedestrian before fleeing. That was the first arrest,” Joseph said. “Through the analysis of the video we obtained, we identified six people who were attacking the patrol car. Those six people are currently in custody.”

Police say carnival shows in other areas of San Jose and the Bay Area in general have become a growing problem.

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Traffic on the Bay Bridge was backed up due to a nighttime spectacle Sunday, with cars seen doing donuts as fireworks were set off.

San Jose police said the department is part of efforts to establish a Bay Area task force to create solutions.

“Through this Bay Area network, we are leveraging our collective resources to better address this regional issue,” said Acting Deputy Chief Brandon Sanchez. “I think this could lead to the creation of a regional task force in the future.”

With the suspects involved in the June 15 attack having been arrested, police say they are also working to identify others involved in the sideshow.

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