Two San Jose police officers were injured, one critically, in a shootout Thursday night at a hotel in the city's Santa Teresa neighborhood, according to the police department.
San Jose police said at around 10:30 p.m., officers were investigating a disturbance at a hotel in the 6100 block of San Ignacio Avenue when they made contact with an armed man who allegedly shot at them and hit two officers.
Officers returned fire and took the suspect into custody after, police said.
The suspect was identified as 33-year-old Kevin Briones, and police said he has a long criminal history. He is on active felony probation and is prohibited from possessing a firearm, police said.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Both officers were taken to local hospitals, where one was being treated for life-threatening injuries. He was listed in critical but stable condition as of Friday afternoon. The other officer suffered moderate injuries and was later released, police said.
The officer in critical but stable condition has one year of experience, according to police. The other officer has three and a half years of experience.
Local
Briones also had life-threatening injuries and was listed in critical but stable condition, police said.
Acting police Chief Paul Joseph said officers were called to the hotel to investigate a disturbance.
"In this case, a mother and children were sheltering on the other side of a thin motel door from a known man who had recently committed violence on them," Joseph said.
A hotel clerk had called police on behalf of the mother, who said a man she knew was knocking at her door, Joseph said. Earlier that evening, the mother said a man she believed she had a restraining order against was heading to the hotel.
Officers responded to the hotel and made their way to the mother's room on the third floor. They found a man, later identified as Briones, walking away from the room, Joseph said.
Officers asked him to stay where he was while they conducted an investigation. He stopped and reached into a duffel bag he was holding. One of the officers told him not to reach into the bag, but he pulled out a stolen handgun and fired at the officers, Joseph said.
Briones ran away from the officers but continued to shoot at them, according to Joseph. At least one officer returned fire and hit him.
Briones continued to run away before breaking through a plate glass window and jumping from the third floor to the ground below, Joseph said. Additional officers found him hiding by a nearby property and took him into custody.
A loaded, stolen firearm was recovered from the scene, Joseph said.
"When officers contacted the mother and children hiding in the hotel room, it became apparent that their lives were likely saved by the responding officers," Joseph said.
Police said they later learned that Briones had an arrest warrant for a domestic violence incident involving the mother.
"I think the motives of a felon and abuser bringing a stolen gun to confront a brave survivor and children sheltering in a motel room are self-evident," Joseph said. "It's clear to me that these lives were all in grave danger, and these officers are the reason they survived this horrific and traumatic incident."
Both officers' body-worn cameras were "activated" at the time of the shooting, Joseph said.
Joseph said the incident highlights three troubling epidemics: felons in possession of a gun, the dangers of domestic violence cases and the violence officers face every day.
Over the past 15 months, 12 San Jose police officers have been shot at, including five who were hit, Joseph said.
Police said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
