San Jose police shot and injured an armed suspect during a domestic disturbance overnight Monday, according to the police department.
The incident started at about 7:45 p.m. Sunday when officers responded to a family disturbance involving a weapon at a home in the area of South First Street and Sutter Street, police said.
“Yeah it's like a movie, you know? I never see that in this area. A lot of police. A lot of SWAT people. Big trucks and everything,” neighbor Carlos Mesa Arreola said.
Police said that when they arrived, they evacuated the 911 caller who had locked herself in a room with four children.
That's when the suspect, 44-year-old Heraclio Mejia, threatened responding officers with a knife.
“Officers verbally alerted each other that the suspect had a knife, ordered him to drop the knife, and began to withdraw from the room. As the officers were withdrawing from the room, the suspect advanced with the knife,” San Jose Police Department Chief Paul Joseph said.
Police said a taser was not effective, so that's when one officer fired his gun after Mejia kept coming at them with the knife.
After being shot, Mejia ran into a room and barricaded himself for three hours but was eventually taken into custody.
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Mejia was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said. No officers were injured.
Chief Joseph said this is the fifth police shooting this year.
He also stressed that officers go through extensive training to de-escalate such scenarios, but said many times the suspect gives them little choice.
“We can train and try de-escalation tactics, in fact those were tried here,” he said. “The officers gave the suspect several commands which would allow him to safely surrender.”
The chief said Mejia has a history of domestic violence, and had a restraining order against him.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
