SAN JOSE, Calif. _ A woman has been arrested after a Christmas morning street melee in which she allegedly ran over and killed a man who shot her relative moments earlier, according to San Jose police.
Sabrina Marie Gutierrez, 22, of San Jose, was booked into the Elmwood women's jail in Milpitas on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail, according to jail records.
Investigators said the fatal car strike capped a frenzied encounter on Santa Clara Street between 24th and 25th streets that began around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, when two men confronted each other on the sidewalk. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other one, police said.
The shooter ran off, and the wounded man got into a vehicle that he took to a hospital, Sgt. Enrique Garcia said.
Soon after the shooting, Gutierrez, a relative of the wounded man who had been at the scene of the altercation, went after the shooter in her own car, Garcia said.
She "drove her vehicle onto the sidewalk and struck the male shooting suspect as he ran away," Garcia wrote in a statement.
Gutierrez then sped away. She was located and arrested by homicide detectives Wednesday night, Garcia said.
The man Gutierrez is accused of hitting died at a hospital, marking the 34th homicide of the year in San Jose. He has not been named pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin. The man who was wounded in the shooting is expected to survive his injuries.
Police initially went to the scene after being alerted by a silent burglar alarm and were then flagged down by a bystander who directed them to the unconscious man who was allegedly hit by Gutierrez's car. Then police determined that the incident was preceded by the shooting and found a loaded firearm lying near the gravely injured man.
Anyone with information about the case can contact SJPD homicide Detective Sgt. Anthony Kilmer or Detective Ted Reckas at (408) 277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-7867 or svcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
