Willow Glen resident assaulted by teens who crashed into his car

SAN JOSE » A Willow Glen man was assaulted by a group of teens early Saturday after they crashed into his car, then fled, according to San Jose police.

The incident was reported around 3:30 a.m. in the 1000 block of Pine Avenue after a homeowner went outside upon hearing a loud crashing sound. The resident discovered that his parked car had been hit by a silver Lexus, and saw “a group of juvenile males and one female were near the vehicle,” police said.

The resident made contact with the group, who police said “physically assaulted him.”

“At one point, one of the male suspects hit the owner with an unknown blunt object,” police said. “The suspects then got into another vehicle and fled the scene.”

The man who was attacked suffered non-lifethreatening injuries, police said. A woman who told KPIX the victim is her husband said he needed staples to close a gash.

None of the suspects have been identified or arrested, police said. Neighborhood residents have taken to social media over the past few days to chart what they’ve noticed to be a spike in auto and property crimes, including some that have turned violent.

The attack also came on the heels of another notable police encounter Thursday afternoon that began about half a mile away at Minnesota and Bird avenues.

Officers in that case were investigating an unoccupied blue Honda Odyssey minivan that was reported stolen and linked to a carjacking, robbery and other crimes that day. As they examined the vehicle, police say they spotted a silver Mitsubishi Endeavor SUV that had also been connected to a reported carjacking that day.

The Mitsubishi sped away from officers attempting a traffic stop, and led a short chase — that later involved a SJPD’s Air 3 helicopter — that lasted about half a mile to Prevost Street, where three people were detained. A fourth occupant was arrested after trying to run away. Ultimately, two juvenile male suspects, a juvenile female suspect and a man were arrested in connection with a carjacking and several other violent crimes in the city.

Anyone with information about Thursday’s arrests can contact SJPD robbery Detective Jon Byers at 408-277-4166. Tips about either incident can be sent to Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP or at svcrimestoppers.org.