Suspect uses pellet gun to attack innocent people in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Police are searching for a suspect accused of shooting bb pellets at officers and shoppers in the Santa Teresa Village Shopping Center in San Jose Wednesday afternoon.

Officials say no injuries were reported.

There were tense moments for residents in the area of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Bernal Road.

Police say at 3 p.m., employees at a nearby veterinary hospital called police to report that someone had shot either a bb gun or an air soft gun in their direction.

Police quickly responded to the shopping center and they were also attacked with what appeared to be bb pellets.

An employee working at a nearby store told ABC7 News that one of their clients was actually hit in the leg, but thankfully it wasn't anything serious.

The wife of one of the owners of the hospital said that a bb pellet barely missed her head. She remains in disbelief, but said the area is relatively safe. "You just kind of jump into that kind of a mode and take care of things and especially now even retrospectively it's shocking because it's a great community where everyone knows everyone here," San Jose resident Beverly Moore said.

"I'm not sure what motivates somebody to do that, some cowardly person," Silicon Valley Veterinary specialists employee Michael P. Moore said.

San Jose police took a man in custody that they thought was responsible, but he was eventually released.

Much of the investigation was focused on an apartment complex nearby.

Police are still investigating to figure out who was responsible for shooting the pellets.