San Jose police arrest dozens in 2 nights
May 7, 2012, 1:33 AM
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Officers made dozens of arrests over two nights, but the Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown San Jose during the weekend was mostly free of some of the violence seen during past celebrations, police said Sunday.
Police arrested 39 people Saturday night on a variety of charges including public intoxication and possession of deadly weapons, said San Jose police Sgt. Jose Garcia.
Police also took 12 juveniles into custody who were out past curfew.
With traffic gridlocked from cars cruising through the downtown area and reports of people on sidewalks getting into fights around 8:30 p.m., police put in place what they termed a “motor vehicle diversion” program to keep traffic moving, Garcia said. Officers closed some streets to traffic and issued 67 traffic citations.
“We’ve had worse years. That’s not to say nothing happened,” Garcia told the San Jose Mercury News. “There are times when we’ve had pretty major incidents.”
The arrests Saturday night came after 21 people were arrested Friday night on various charges including public intoxication, possession of narcotics and resisting arrest.
Also Saturday night, officers called out to a shooting around 8 p.m. found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The man, who has not been named, was taken to a hospital with what police described as potentially life-threatening injuries.
It was not clear if the shooting was related to the weekend celebrations, but it did not take place near the city’s downtown. No additional details were released
San Jose canceled the annual Cinco de Mayo parade and festival after 2010 because of violence associated with the celebration.
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