Police say intruder at San Jose power plant was heavily armed
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A suspect who jumped a fence Tuesday night and got into the Metcalf Energy Center in South San Jose challenged officers to shoot and kill him.
He was armed with an ax. Officers also discovered he had a large sword and a six-foot pipe in the black Mercedes that he drove to the facility, along with another ax.
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The man, described by San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia as an Asian male adult in his late 20's, advanced at one officer with an ax. The officer shot his gun at the suspect. The suspect did the same with a second officer, who also shot at the suspect.
Chief Garcia says the suspect was ordered to surrender and drop his weapon a total of 23 times prior to the officers' shots. The man's identify has not been released by coroner's office pending notification of next-of-kin.
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The incident unfolded at 5:02 p.m. Tuesday when police received a call from the security team at the power plant.
Chief Garcia said the suspect had a record of weapons and drug violations and had previously been held for psychiatric evaluation. The license plate on the suspect's Mercedes was tagged by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office as belonging to a person who was known to be armed and dangerous.
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The confrontation and shooting were captured on officers' body-worn cameras. Chief Garcia said he has seen the video, describing it as traumatic for the officers and the suspect.
The suspect's intent for entering the power plant property is unknown.
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