San Jose notches its 10th homicide of the year
SAN JOSE – A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of intentionally hitting and killing another man with a vehicle Wednesday morning in San Jose, according to authorities.
The incident happened around 6:10 a.m. at a business parking lot in the 1700 block of Southwest Expressway, San Jose police Sgt. Jorge Garibay said in a news release.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office will release his identity once it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified.
While the manner of the victim’s injuries was not readily apparent, an on-scene examination by the coroner found “signs of trauma consistent with being hit by a vehicle,” Garibay said, adding that “officers discovered corroborating evidence that confirmed the victim had been struck by a vehicle in what appeared to be an intentional act.”
Garibay said detectives used public safety camera footage and automatic license plate recognition technology to identify the suspect vehicle and a person of interest.
Both the suspect vehicle and the person of interest, identified as Jaime Cruz Castanon, were found in San Jose. Cruz Castanon was confirmed to be the suspect and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on a murder charge, Garibay said.
The motive and circumstances surrounding the killing are under investigation, Garibay said.
Garibay said the case is being investigated as San Jose’s 10th homicide of the year.
It also marks the second killing this week. On Tuesday, police received word that a man had died of injuries he suffered in an assault and robbery over the weekend in the 100 block of Old Tully Road. Eugene Pickett, 28, of San Jose, was arrested in connection with the case.
Anyone with information related to the cases can contact Detective Sgt. John Van Den Broeck at 3829@sanjoseca.gov or Detective Amanda Estantino at 4339@sanjoseca.gov, or both at 408-277-5283. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.
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