Police announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with an assault case.
The announcement appeared in a San José Police Media Relations release.
Police announced that two suspects had been arrested in connection with the case.
Assaults Unit detectives later identified Alejandro Valencia, 30, and Krystelle Tieu Acosta, 23, both of Union City, as the primary suspects. Investigators say they used automated license plate reader data to pinpoint the suspects' vehicle, then obtained arrest warrants for both and a search warrant for a residence connected to them.
San Jose's License Plate Reader Network
San Jose's license plate reader system, supplied by Flock Safety, spans roughly 500 cameras citywide that scan passing vehicles and store the data for 30 days, according to San José Spotlight. San José Spotlight has described the network as a crime-fighting tool, and Hoodline recently detailed a separate South King Road robbery case that ended with suspects captured in Redwood City.
The SJPD Covert Response Unit, a specialized tactical surveillance detail, assisted with locating and arresting the suspects.
Felony Charges Carry Years in Prison
Both suspects were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail Complex on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery, and criminal threats. The downtown facility, operated by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, processes around 30,000 bookings a year and houses pre-trial felony detainees, according to the Office of the Sheriff, County of Santa Clara.
Assault with a deadly weapon under Penal Code 245(a)(1) and 245(a)(2) is a felony that can carry two, three, or four years in state prison along with fines up to $10,000, according to Power Trial Lawyers.
The criminal threats charge is similarly serious. Penal Code 422 treats willfully threatening a crime that could result in death or great bodily injury as a wobbler offense that, when charged as a felony, can bring up to three or four years in prison and counts as a strike under California's Three Strikes law, according to Eisner Gorin LLP. Prosecutors must show the threat placed the victim in sustained, reasonable fear, the firm notes, even if the suspect never intended to follow through. The felony battery count, under Penal Code 243(d), applies when unlawful physical contact causes serious injury such as concussions, fractures, or deep lacerations, and likewise carries two to four years in state prison.
License Plate Readers Face Scrutiny
The arrest comes amid an ongoing local fight over how San Jose uses its camera network. A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against the city on October 2, ruling that police searches of the ALPR database without a warrant do not violate state constitutional privacy guarantees, San José Spotlight reported. Civil rights groups behind the suit had argued the mass tracking amounted to unconstitutional surveillance, but the court sided with the city's practices.
The ruling landed just weeks after a separate controversy involving the same camera system. In April, SJPD fired an officer after unauthorized searches of the Flock database from a personal phone and sharing location data with a relative accused of domestic violence, according to KQED. A proposal recommended strengthening policies to prohibit officers from accessing police databases on personal devices. A memo from San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Vice Mayor Pam Foley proposed petitioning state lawmakers to create criminal penalties for officers who misuse license plate data. The District Attorney's Office said no state criminal law makes improper officer access to an agency ALPR database a crime.
Anyone with information on the South King Road case is asked to contact Detective Garcia of the SJPD Assaults Unit at 408-277-4161 or [email protected], referencing case number 26-215-0829. Tips can also be submitted through the P3 Tips mobile app, by calling (408) 947-STOP, or via the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers website, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward if their information leads to an arrest.
