A 23-year veteran Morgan Hill police officer accidentally fired his service handgun at the end of a stolen vehicle pursuit on Sunday, injuring a teen who had just exited the vehicle, according to authorities.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave while the Morgan Hill Police Department and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office investigate the incident, according to Sgt. Troy Hoefling. Morgan Hill police declined to release the name of the officer who discharged his weapon before the investigation is complete.
“We’re doing a joint investigation with the police department and the (DA’s office) in alignment with the county protocol on officer involved incidents, and we’re doing an administrative investigation that will identify the facts surrounding the incident,” Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing said May 1.
About 7:30pm April 29, Morgan Hill Police responded to the area of Cochrane Plaza after receiving information about a stolen van in the area, according to a May 1 press release.
Officers located the stolen van traveling in the area and attempted to make a traffic stop. The van driver refused to stop for police, according to authorities. Police continued to pursue the van, eventually ending the chase in the area of Llagas and Del Monte avenues by using a collision technique that made the vehicle spin out.
When the van stopped, two teenage girls exited and walked toward officers while the 16-year-old driver remained in the vehicle, police said. As officers were directing the girls to stop and lie down on the ground, an officer accidentally discharged his service weapon into the ground near them. The bullet broke apart, and a fragment of the projectile bounced up and struck one of the teenage girls in the eye.
The girl was transported to Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, where the bullet fragment was successfully removed, police said.
The teen has been released from the hospital, and is recovering, Swing said. He declined to name the girl or specify her condition because she is a juvenile.
“We certainly wish her the fullest and quickest recovery,” Swing said.
Three MHPD officers were at the scene when the van crashed and the teen girls exited, Swing said. Officers are trained to make a “high-risk stop” when approaching a stolen vehicle or a person suspected of committing a felony. That training requires that in situations such as the April 29 incident, officers approach with their service weapons drawn.
“Sometimes, we have less-than-lethal options available, but in this case, because of the circumstances and the number of officers at the scene, they had their service weapons drawn,” Swing said.
Swing noted that Morgan Hill officers’ service weapons do not have a safety mechanism built into them.
The teen driver of the van was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, Swing added. The van had been stolen from Live Oak High School earlier in the evening.
Also earlier in the evening, the two teen girls who were passengers in the stolen van had been reported missing to police. Swing said officers had been in contact with the girls’ families earlier in the day. Police are also investigating why the girls were missing.
The vehicle pursuit with officers ended when the stolen van crashed into a light pole and a fire hydrant, police said.
