Officer Involved Shooting on Crystal Drive

Newsreleases

Case Numbers: 08-3697
Incident:Officer Involved Shooting
Date:Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 5:30 a.m.
Location:2554 Crystal Drive, Santa Clara
Suspect: Investigation is Ongoing

On Saturday April 5, 2008, at 3:49 a.m. Santa Clara Police Communications received several calls reporting a disturbance in the 2500 block of Crystal Drive. The callers reported seeing four adult males arguing and fighting in the front yard of a residence. One caller reported that a person was possibly stabbed.

The suspect (24 year old male) was initially inside 2548 Crystal Drive causing a disturbance when he suddenly went berserk and jumped through a window. He ran next door to 2554 Crystal Drive and entered the occupied residence by smashing through another window. The occupants were awakened by the noise and fled their residence in fear. A friend tried to calm and subdue the suspect, but was stabbed. Friends took the victim to a local hospital for medical treatment. The stabbing injuries are not life threatening.

When Santa Clara Police Officers arrived they found the suspect barricaded in a bedroom at 2554 Crystal Drive. Officers tried to negotiate with the suspect to no avail. A Santa Clara Police canine was deployed and was stabbed by the suspect. Two officers, confronted by the suspect armed with a knife and fearing for their lives, discharged their handguns, striking the suspect. Emergency personnel pronounced the suspect deceased at the scene. The investigation is being conducted by the Santa Clara Police Department in conjunction with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, which is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings. The names of the officers are not being released at this time. These officers have been placed on administrative leave, the standard practice for personnel involved in a critical incident. Requests for the identity of the deceased are being referred to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Santa Clara Police Department is asking that anyone with information pertaining to the event call Santa Clara Police Department Detective Sergeant Dan Moreno at 408-615-4813. Anonymous tips can be called in at the Police Department’s tip line, 408-241-9495.

Contact:
Lieutenant Michael Sellers
Administrative Services Division
408-615-4865