SAN JOSE (KRON) — “He is lucky to be alive,” said San Jose’s police chief about the officer who was injured during a fatal officer involved shooting over the weekend.

“A close call, it was a very close call,” said San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia.

Garcia describes the chaotic scene Saturday morning in a carport on Kollmar Drive where police cornered a suspect who was behind the wheel of a stolen car.

“The suspect exited the vehicle through a sunroof and stood on top of the car but not complying with officers demands to come down and surrender,” the chief said.

After failing to escape by running across several other car rooftops, the suspect climbed back into the stolen car and drove into a police vehicle, hitting and injuring an officer who was on foot.

“Officers fired at the driver as he continued driving forward and striking the officer who was knocked to the ground and now underneath and pinned between a parked car and the suspect vehicle,” Garcia said.

Two other officers opened fire and stopped the suspect, who then drove into a pole. The suspect was later pronounced dead.

Not immediately identified, he is a validated gang member and has a long rap sheet, the chief said.

The injured officer, a veteran sergeant, was hospitalized, treated for broken bones and other injuries, is expected to survive.

The suspect, who was not armed, was said to be on the verge of surrender at one point during the brief encounter, when he apparently had a change of heart and made a desperate attempt to escape.

“It was just a reminder really about how quickly things can escalate even as officers are trying to de-escalate situations,” Garcia said.

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