Manhunt underway after two officers shot in Fremont

Byby Cornell Barnard KGO logo
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Massive manhunt underway after two officers shot in Fremont
Fremont police are reporting that two cops have been transported with injuries following two officer-involved shootings involving the same suspect Wednesday afternoon.

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Fremont police are reporting that two cops have been transported with injuries following two officer-involved shootings Wednesday afternoon.

Police are reporting two separate shootings occurred in the Irvington area. At around 1:33 p.m., police say a patrol officer said he was hit by a car at Fremont and Washington boulevards.

Police say that officer attempted a traffic stop behind an AutoZone and a suspect vehicle then backed into the officer. Shots were also fired.

The officer was hit by gunfire, but it was unclear if both the suspect and the officer fired shots. That officer has been transported to a trauma center.

"Definitely sustained injuries. We're not going to confirm if it was a gunshot, but we believe the vehicle backed into the officer. The officer went down. There were shots fired," said Fremont public information officer Geneva Bosques.

The suspect fled the scene of the crash on foot and ran inside a nearby Safeway store. Witnesses say they saw the suspect brandishing a small handgun inside the the supermarket as he was running from police.

"He went in the back and then I saw SWAT come in from by the produce department. Then I saw another one in the frozen foods department. Then they said, 'duck,' so we all ducked down," said Safeway worker Ryan Matias.

Fremont officers then encountered at least one suspect for a second time on the 1300 block of Roberts Avenue at 1:43 pm. Shots were fired again and a second Fremont officer was injured.

Police say there is at least one suspect. Police described the suspect as a Hispanic male about 6-feet tall, with a mustache, a shaved head and wearing an orange San Francisco Giants jersey. The suspect is described as about 30 to 40 years old.

Terrifed neighbors were told to keep their doors locked, and others were told to stay away. "This is our home, this is where we live, this is terrifying," neighbor Bettina Vasquez said.

Alameda County Deputies are leading the tactical search for the suspect and are going door-to-door searching for the suspect. A shelter-in-place has been issued for the area surrounding the incident. More than 100 law enforcement officers from several agencies are assisting in the search.

Authorities said the officer in the first encounter was once and went into surgery and is now in critical condition. The second officer was shot twice and is in stable condition. Both officers were admitted to the San Jose Regional Medical Center.

Officers brought in what appeared to be a friend or family member of one of the officers. She was driven in by police and escorted inside.

The names of the two officers have not yet been released, but Fremont police say the officer in critical condition has been with the department for a year, while the detective in stable condition has been with the department for 10 years.

Officials are investigating a motive for the shooting.

Officials said Fremont may consider canceling school in the area on Thursday

Stay with ABC7 News for continuing coverage.

Bay City News contributed to this report.