A 26-year-old woman was arrested early Saturday on suspicion
of attempted murder, allegedly having intentionally driving her SUV into a
crowd and striking two men at a protest Friday night near downtown San Jose,
police said.
Police said Bianca Orozco of San Jose was arrested in
connection with an incident at about 9 p.m. Friday. Police said a Santa Clara
County Sheriff’s deputy at a reported “unlawful assembly” at Sixth
and Santa Clara Streets downtown saw a gray Dodge Durango driving into the
intersection at high rate of speed. Several protesters jumped out of the way to
avoid being struck by the suspect vehicle, police said.
The Sheriff’s deputy saw the same vehicle make a U-turn and
drive back toward the crowd, and then back up at a high rate of speed and run
over two adult male victims. The deputy, police said, believed the suspect was intentionally
attempting to run over the victims.
The Durango then turned toward the protesters and deputies,
and drove directly at them. One deputy fired one round at the Durango, which
then fled the scene, police said.
The two victims were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening
injuries and later released, police said.
A San Jose Police Department officer at the scene recorded
the Durango’s license plate, and homicide detectives on Saturday found the vehicle,
and Orozco, at a San Jose homes. Orozco, who had not been injured in Friday
night’s shooting, was then arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County
Jail.
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with
information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Isidro Bagon or Detective Ramon
Sanchez of the San Jose Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (408) 277-5283.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may either call the Crime
Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-STOP (7867).
Source: NBC Bay Area