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Police pursuit of runaway van ends in arrest of two
Campbell officer fires two shots at oncoming vehicle
By Genevieve Roja
Two men involved in a police pursuit were booked into Santa Clara County Jail early last Wednesday morning thanks to the work of several Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies and one Campbell police officer.
Joseph John Trapani, 36, a transient, and Patrick Joseph McCauley, 34, of San Jose, were apprehended following a 25-minute police chase through the streets of Willow Glen and San Jose. Trapani, the driver of a white, bakery-style delivery truck, was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon after busting through a barricade of two Sheriff's vehicles and veering toward Campbell Officer Joseph Cefalu. No one was injured.
Trapani was being held in Santa Clara County Jail at press time on Nov. 18. McCauley, a passenger in the truck, was taken into custody for being under the influence of an illegal stimulant believed to be methamphetamine, said Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Hirokawa. McCauley was cited with a misdemeanor and released on grounds he would return for a court appearance.
Deputies received a call at about 12:45 a.m. from a resident who reported a suspicious person "acting bizarre and carrying a piggy bank" in the middle of Willow Street near Norman Avenue. When the deputies arrived at the caller's home, they were told the suspect was seen walking with another man on Willow Street. Deputies eventually located the two suspects and the vehicle, which lacked license plates and tail lights and had the name "Jet Linen" painted on the side.
"They [the deputies] tried to make a vehicle stop, and the truck failed to stop," Hirokawa said. "Then [the suspects] started making U-turns up and down Willow."
Tailed by several police cars, Trapani headed down nearby streets, eventually turning into a street blockaded by two deputies' cars. But the truck rammed through the blockade and hit the vehicles as it continued eastbound on Willow Creek Drive toward Meridian Avenue. Hearing the calls about the chase over the dispatch system, Campbell Police Officer Cefalu responded by laying down spike strips to disable the truck, which was traveling at 35 to 40 mph.
According to Hirokawa, Trapani attempted to avoid the spikes by driving onto the northwest sidewalk and straight toward Cefalu, who was standing on a grassy area on the corner of Willow Creek and Meridian. Cefalu grabbed his service weapon and fired two shots, which hit the truck twice on the driver's side. Trapani headed toward a tree, then suddenly stopped his vehicle and was surrounded by deputies and police. The chase had finally ended at about 1:10 a.m.
Hirokawa said the investigation is still pending. He said it is unknown whether the van was stolen or borrowed, why Trapani drove up the sidewalk, what was inside the piggy bank, or why the suspects fled the scene. Inside the van however, officers found several items, including clothing, tools and "knick-knacks," Hirokawa said. He said he did not know whether any weapons were inside the vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Michael Flood or Sgt. Jose Salcido at 408.299.2211.
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Campbell, California
