A guard at the Santa Clara County Main Jail claims he was threatened by an armed man while he was driving home from work, according to an internal report obtained by NBC Bay Area.
San Jose police are now searching for the suspect, described as a man who was driving an older model Jetta or Passat. The jail guard said the man followed him from a parking lot across from the main jail, according to the report.
When the two came to a light, the guard said the man got out of his car and raised his shirt, exposing a gun. The two kept driving when the light turned green.
The guard said the suspect then was driving behind him, pointing the gun at him from his car, according to the internal report.
"When you swear in law enforcement, you have to be aware of what's going on around you 24 hours a day, and if you don't have the tools to protect yourself, it can be very dangerous," said Mark Garcia, a former sheriff's lieutenant and former jail guard.
Garcia said he was able to carry a gun when he served, but the current guards cannot.
In 2014, NBC Bay Area reported three separate Santa Clara County jail guards were attacked while off duty, some while with their families.
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All guards said then their attackers were former inmates.
It is not clear if the latest incident also involved a former inmate.
The guard stated he did not recognize the man. The sheriff was going to issue a statement in the case, but later decided against it, saying it was not job related.
A San Jose police report states the incident involved a correctional deputy.
