A shooting unfolded this week on the streets of a Northern California city that was captured on disturbing video — an incident of violence that one police officer compared to “an action movie” that no one wanted to happen in reality.
The San Jose Police Department identified the carjacking suspect at the center of the incident, who shot and wounded an officer during a close-range shootout before a patrol car mowed down and fatally shot him.
The shooting marked the end of the suspect's four-day violent crime spree in two counties that included armed robberies, carjackings, car chases and police shootings, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said at a news conference Thursday afternoon, a day after the incident.
Mohamed Husien, 30, of Davis, died after being run over by a police cruiser and fatally shot, police say.
(San Jose Police Department)
“It involved at least six law enforcement agencies, which pursued the suspect across multiple jurisdictions while endangering countless members of the community as shootings unfolded in multiple cities,” Joseph said.
The police chief identified the suspect as Mohamed Husien, 30, of Davis. Husien was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting, captured on video by news helicopters and witnesses, broke out Wednesday afternoon after the suspect crashed his car near Julian Street and Notre Dame Avenue, next to the Highway 87 off-ramp and seven blocks from City Hall.
Videos shared on social media show the suspect dodging a police cruiser that was trying to run him over before opening fire on the officer and charging at him.
In the videos, the suspect fires his weapon from the back of the police vehicle while the officer returns fire from the driver's seat before exiting and leaving the scene.
“The suspect continued to circle around the [officer’s] patrol vehicle while shooting at him from just a few feet away,” Joseph said.
He said the officer, who had recently been promoted to sergeant, continued shooting even after being hit by a bullet and bleeding from the head.
Dozens of travelers were caught in the middle of the shootout, which ended when the armed suspect, who was trying to steal a vehicle stopped on the highway, was hit and run over by another police patrol.
Joseph said the suspect continued to move and was still armed with a firearm illegally fitted with an extended magazine, leading officers to fatally shoot him.
“This was a scene none of us wanted to witness in real life,” he said. “It's the kind of footage that people might expect from an action movie, but this wasn't a movie.”
Joseph said a thorough investigation would be conducted into the shooting and to determine the suspect's motive. He said investigators would also examine how Hussein, a convicted felon, obtained the firearm used in Wednesday's shooting.
He said the police sergeant was expected to survive his injuries.
Standing behind a wooden podium, speaking before a row of news cameras and reporters, Joseph declined to answer questions about the use of a patrol car to end the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation.
“We always hope for a peaceful resolution to every incident like this,” Joseph told reporters. “In every second of that vehicle pursuit, the suspect had the option to stop and surrender.
“We used tactics that are standard to try to detain this person safely,” he added, “and unfortunately that was not the result we got.”
Joseph said the shooting ended a four-day crime spree in San Benito and Santa Clara counties.
He said the crime spree began on Jan. 17 when the suspect stole a red Corvette from a dealership in Sacramento. Later that day, he said, he robbed a convenience store at gunpoint in another city, followed by a second armed robbery at a San Jose liquor store.
He said the suspect committed three more robberies the next day. At least one of them was in San José.
Joseph said the department caught a break Wednesday when a license plate reader flagged the location of the Corvette, prompting a police response.
“San Jose officers located the vehicle and engaged in a brief pursuit,” he said, “before losing the vehicle and locating it unoccupied shortly thereafter.”
At 2:01 pm that day, San Jose police received a call about an armed carjacking at a dealership in the 900 block of Capital Expressway.
“The suspect brandished a firearm at an employee, stole a green Corvette and fled the scene,” Joseph said.
Shortly after, he said, a police helicopter spotted the vehicle traveling south outside San Jose and continued following it, providing real-time updates to local law enforcement agencies.
Hollister Police Officers and San Benito County Sheriff's Deputies were notified when the vehicle entered their jurisdiction and attempted to stop it. But a slow-speed chase ensued that ended in a shootout involving officers.
“The suspect fled and was located again where a second officer-involved shooting occurred,” Joseph said. He did not reveal the location of the second shooting.
He said the suspect's vehicle was disabled, leading him to carjack a passing vehicle at gunpoint before fleeing the city of Hollister.
Joseph said no officers or deputies were injured in the officer-involved shootings.
“The suspect then fled north back to San Jose. Officers from multiple agencies pursued the suspect as he drove at high speeds on the freeway, endangering motorists as he attempted to evade capture,” Joseph said. “When the suspect re-entered our city, San José police units assumed control of the chase on the city streets.”
He said the suspect crashed into a vehicle that was stopped at the intersection where the shooting took place.
“I can't imagine the courage it takes to run toward a situation like that and not walk away from it, but thank God they ran toward it,” said San Jose Vice Mayor Pam Foley. “We are grateful for their service and the sacrifices they and their families make, and we strongly support the San Jose Police Department and all of our first responders.”
San Jose Police Sgt. Steve Slack, president of the San Jose Police Association, praises the injured officer's actions.
“The incredible bravery exhibited by each officer, especially the SJPD sergeant who was shot and hospitalized with a skull fracture after confronting the dangerous criminal, was on full display yesterday,” he said. “The injured sergeant is in good spirits and we are supporting him and his family in any way we can.”
