Three police officers are on routine paid administrative leave after they shot a naked man in West San Jose on Friday afternoon, leaving him in critical condition, police said.
The San Jose Police Department on Monday identified the suspect as 53-year-old John Bradley Bowles of San Jose, who led police on a chase, crashing into several parked vehicles, before stopping at a shopping center on Stevens Creek Boulevard, where officers shot him.
The officers involved in the shooting also were identified by police as Todd Ahyo, William Wolfe and Erick Enderle. All three have more than 20 years of service in law enforcement, police said.
A caller first reported Bowles' erratic behavior to police around 1:30 p.m. at Eva Court and Valerie Drive, near San Tomas Park. The man had been chasing an adult and child, police said.
After officers arrived, Bowles got into a blue Dodge Ram pickup truck, backed out of Eva Court and hit a patrol vehicle and another parked car, police said.
Bowles led about 10 police vehicles on a 4-mile pursuit, allegedly getting into several vehicle collisions in the process.
Eventually, Bowles sped west down Stevens Creek Boulevard east of Lawrence Expressway before turning into the driveway of the Villa Shopping Center and coming to a stop, police said.
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Bowles did not comply with police commands in their attempts to arrest him and appeared to aim a weapon at the officers, according to police. The investigation later revealed that the item Bowles pointed at officers was a caulking gun.
Bowles then revved the engine of the Ram and appeared to be trying to move the truck, police said. At the scene, the Ram appeared to have crashed head-on into a police SUV in the driveway.
Three officers then fired at Bowles, hitting him at least once. James Shaw, a driver for United Towing who said he witnessed the shooting from across the street, said he heard about 12 gunshots.
No officers were injured. Bowles was in critical condition at a hospital. He was paper booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, a felony; annoying and molesting a child, a misdemeanor; felony evading; and misdemeanor hit and run, police said.
The San Jose Police Department's homicide unit is conducting a joint criminal investigation with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
The officers' body-worn camera footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation, police said. The Police Department's Internal Affairs unit, the City Attorney's Office and the Office of the Independent Police Auditor are monitoring the case.
