Sunnyvale police used license plate readers to track down and arrest an allegedly violent San Jose boy.  

On Feb. 16, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) patrol officers responded to a report of an assault involving a gun on the 100 block of South Bernardo Avenue, according to a social media post by the Sunnyvale police union. 

However, by the time DPS arrived on scene, the suspect had fled. The following day, police got an alert that the department’s automated license-plate reader system — Flock Safety camera system — had spotted the suspect’s vehicle in downtown Los Gatos. 

Following the alert, Capt. Dzanh Le, the public information officer for DPS, wrote in an email that police executed an arrest warrant at the suspect’s San Jose home.

Since the investigation is “still ongoing,” Le wrote he “could not speak to the specific details” of the attack. He would not disclose the suspect’s name, simply identifying him as a San Jose boy. 

Additionally, Le described the assault as a “domestic violence incident.” The assault victims are a Sunnyvale man and woman. The attacker “physically assaulted” the woman and attempted to strangle her, Le wrote. She sustained “moderate injuries.”

During a search of the suspect’s home, Sunnyvale officers recovered a loaded gun with an extended magazine, along with additional loaded magazines, according to the Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers’ Association post. The suspect was booked on “multiple felony charges.”

The post claimed the boy pointed a gun at the man, but Le’s email did not detail whether the suspect used the gun except to threaten the man.   

Los Gatos Police Department and the Santa Clara County Special Enforcement Team assisted with the arrest. 

“This case underscores the importance of inter-agency collaboration and demonstrates the effectiveness of the FLOCK safety camera system, which officers rely on daily to locate and apprehend violent offenders in the ongoing effort to keep Sunnyvale safe for the community,” according to the post.

Use of Flock Safety cameras has divided the public. Proponents claim it reduces crime, offering police a powerful tool in apprehending violent criminals. Opponents compare it to a dragnet, one that violates privacy and is often used for immigration enforcement. 

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