SAN JOSE — A man who police say threatened a family with a gun in the aftermath of a South San Jose car crash has been arrested, and police say they seized more than two-dozen firearms from his home.
The initial incident occurred around noon Oct. 6, with San Jose police officers responding to Bernal Road and San Ignacio Avenue for a report of a hit-and-run collision, according to a San Jose Police Department news release.
The motorist who stayed at the scene told officers that he was driving with his wife and 1-year-old child when he got in a vehicle collision with another man. When the driver got out to try and exchange license and insurance information, he said the other man “brandished a firearm and threatened the victim” before fleeing the area.
An ensuing investigation identified the alleged gunman as a 48-year-old San Jose man, and the following day, police officers stopped his car and took him into custody.
Police said officers found a rifle magazine and ammunition during the car stop, and a search warrant later served at his San Jose home led to the confiscation of more than two-dozen handguns and rifles along with ammunition.
One of the weapons seized was described by police as a machine gun, and the department confirmed that it was capable of fully automatic fire, making it illegal to possess in California.
The arrested man was booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of criminal threats, brandishing a firearm, hit and run, and assorted gun crimes. He was criminally charged Oct. 10 and is out of jail custody, records show.
Anyone with information for investigators can contact Detective Nicholas Tong with the SJPD assaults unit at 408-277-4161 or by email at 4774@sanjoseca.gov.
Source: www.mercurynews.com