Calif. Police Officer Struck by Stolen SUV; Suspects Try to Carjack Driver

After allegedly striking a San Jose police officer with a stolen SUV, three boys abandoned the vehicle and then tried to carjack a ride-hail driver before officers tracked them down.

By Aldo Toledo

Source San Francisco Chronicle

Oct. 23, 2026

2 min read

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Three teens—two 14 and one 16—were arrested after police say they fled a traffic stop in a stolen SUV, struck a San Jose police officer and later tried to carjack a ride-hail driver.
Investigators say the SUV's driver accelerated toward an officer during the stop, causing non-life-threatening injuries and leading another officer to fire a single round.
Officers used license plate reader technology to track the abandoned SUV and later found the suspects hiding nearby after the reported attempted carjacking.

San Jose police cruiser — A San Jose police officer was injured Monday after being struck by a stolen SUV during a traffic stop that ended with three juvenile arrests.

Three boys were arrested after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop in a stolen SUV, hitting a San Jose police vehicle in the process, then trying to carjack a ride-hail driver, police said Thursday.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested and booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possessing a stolen vehicle. The other suspects, ages 14 and 16, were booked on suspicion of obstructing an officer and possessing a stolen vehicle.

The arrests followed a series of incidents that began Oct. 19 at about 2:54 a.m., when officers stopped an SUV near North 21st and Santa Clara streets for a vehicle code violation. Police later confirmed the SUV had been reported stolen.

As officers approached, the driver accelerated toward one of them and struck the officer, police said. Another officer fired one round. The SUV’s three occupants fled. The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and none of the occupants was struck by the gunfire.

Using license plate reader cameras, officers later found the SUV unoccupied near Lucretia Avenue and Tully Road. Minutes later, a ride-hail driver reported that three males had tried to carjack him in the 2300 block of Balme Drive. Officers searched the area and found the boys hiding, police said.

The shooting was the San Jose Police Department’s fourth officer-involved shooting of the year. The officer who fired has been with the department for 18 months, police said.

The department’s homicide unit and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.

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