San Jose police announced the arrests of three alleged gang members in connection with two separate stabbings, citing the use of license plate cameras as instrumental in their investigations. These arrests address two distinct incidents that left victims with life-threatening injuries.
In one case, police arrested 20-year-old Manuel Perez-Gonzalez last week for a stabbing that occurred on June 6. This incident resulted in a man sustaining life-threatening injuries. Detectives from the police Gang Investigations Unit utilized Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) data to identify Perez-Gonzalez. He was arrested at his San Jose home on October 1. Following his arrest, Perez-Gonzalez was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on a charge of attempted murder.
A second set of arrests took place on September 30, involving Jose Valle, 43, and Benjamin Mendez, 25, both of San Jose. These individuals were apprehended in connection with a stabbing reported on April 10, 2026, in South San Jose. Detectives from the Gang Investigations Unit, aided by the police Covert Response Unit, located and arrested Valle in the Central Valley city of Fowler. Mendez was arrested in Redwood City. Both suspects were subsequently booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The April 10, 2026 incident occurred at approximately 1:45 AM, outside a business located in the 3800 block of Monterey Highway. Upon the arrival of patrol officers, both the victim and the suspects had already left the scene. A preliminary investigation revealed that an adult male victim had been involved in an altercation with a group of suspects. During this confrontation, the suspects violently assaulted and stabbed the victim multiple times. The victim then self-transported to a local hospital for medical treatment, where he was found to have sustained life-threatening injuries. Police determined this incident to be gang motivated.
Gang Investigations Unit detectives initiated an investigation immediately after the April 2026 stabbing. They utilized a combination of Automated License Plate Reader data and surveillance videos to successfully identify the primary suspects in the case. San Jose police highlighted the role of these technological tools in identifying individuals involved in these serious incidents across the city and beyond.
