SWAT team used to find gunman who fired at SSF police

Lyanne Melendez Image
Friday, January 2, 2015
Arrest in SSF officer-involved shooting
SWAT team members were brought in to find a gunman who police say fired at two officers in South San Francisco on New Year's morning.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- An entire South San Francisco neighborhood was told to shelter in place after a man started shooting at police in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. The neighborhood was in lockdown mode until the gunman was caught.

Police arrested 23-year-old Ivan DeJesus Gomez after a seven hour-long manhunt.

"Stupid, beyond dumb," said neighbor Hector Huertas.

It started after someone fired shots in the air on First Lane near Orange Avenue. That's when neighbors began calling police.

"We called it in, the cops drove by, they kept driving by, and then we heard more shots and so I called them again. They drove by again around 2:30 a.m., and the cops just waited until they found something," said Huertas.

According to the police report, two officers searching on foot were then fired upon by DeJesus Gomez, who was hiding from them. Officers fired back. The suspect then ran.

A small army of officers responded including the SWAT team's MRAP armored vehicle that's used to withstand improvised explosive devices. Police would not say why the armored personnel carrier was brought in.

Neighbors were called and told to stay in their homes.

"Some of us didn't get that call, but we didn't get out of the house, because it probably wouldn't have been smart to do so," said neighbor Connie Hegre.

"My daughter couldn't go to work and I got yelled at just coming into the alley to see what was going on. Police told me to go back inside," said neighbor Yolanda Jaloma.

At about 10:30 a.m. police arrested De Jesus Gomez after finding him hiding. He will be charged with attempted murder of two officers. Police spent most of the day interviewing people.

"I said what happened to us, my alley over here, it is always so nice, calm. Now I'm seeing things I've never seen before," said Angelina Jaloma.

Late Thursday evening, South San Francisco police reported that the gun used to shoot at the officers was found.