JOHN S. MARSHALL, Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man arrested by San Jose police Friday after a high-speed chase and shootout with officers is also suspected in the killing of a man during a carjacking attempt and of four armed robberies, police said.
Jonathan Wilbanks was being held on suspicion of homicide, the attempted murder of a police officer and armed robbery, police spokesman Sgt. Jason Dwyer said Sunday.
Wilbanks, 26, was one of two men in a car that a San Jose police officer had spotted a little after 9 p.m. Friday that fit the description of the getaway car used in the robberies and in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man during the carjacking attempt, Dwyer said.
When the officer stopped several car lengths behind the suspects in intersection, both suspects jumped out of their car, approached the officer's car and started shooting as the officer ducked for cover inside his squad car, Dwyer said.
The officer, a 10-year veteran of the department, was hit twice by bullets with what Dwyer described as "grazing wounds."
"He was trying to get down and get some cover," Dwyer said Saturday. "Rounds struck the windshield and the driver's side window. He's lucky to be alive."
A second officer, who had pulled up in a separate police car, returned fire on the suspects.
At that point, the two suspects jumped back in their car and sped away, with police, including the wounded officer, despite his injuries, in pursuit.
Investigators have not said how many shots were exchanged by the suspects and officers, but said during the pursuit, the two suspects again opened fire. During the chase, one of the suspects somehow got out of the car and escaped on foot, Dwyer said.
The car chase came to an end when the Wilbanks crashed the car in a residential neighborhood, Dwyer said.
He continued to try to escape capture by running into a house through a back door, but the residents ran out and told officers converging on the scene about the man in their home.
Wilbanks was taken into custody without incident. Upon his arrest, police discovered he has suffered two non-life threatening gunshot wounds.
As for the wounded officer, he was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and released.
He and the officer who returned fire during the stop have been placed on routine paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.
Police were still looking for the second suspect.
Wilbanks was being held without bail. It was not known if he had retained an attorney.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.