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Jeffrey Choy, the Stockton man accused of shooting a Mountain View police officer from a foot away during a July 16 traffic stop, was arraigned July 20 in the Santa Clara County Superior Court. He’s been charged with attempted murder of a peace officer, said Carolyn Malinsky, the Deputy District Attorney assigned to the case.
Choy, 33, is being held at the Santa Clara County main jail north without bail and faces life in prison if convicted.
In the early morning on July 16, the Mountain View officer initiated a traffic stop on a gold Ford Explorer traveling westbound on Villa Street near Hope Street in Mountain View when he observed the car fail to stop at a stop sign and traffic light, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s office.
As the officer approached the window, Choy allegedly used an illegal semi-automatic handgun to fire two rounds out the driver’s side window. A bullet struck and exited the officer’s left forearm. A bullet was also lodged in the shoulder of his bulletproof vest, according to the DA’s office. The officer then crawled back to his vehicle to call in a description of the shooter.
Choy allegedly fled the scene then crashed his car into a parked car shortly after on Higdon Street, the statement said. He abandoned his car and fled on foot.
According to the DA’s office, Choy was already wanted for failing to appear for court on a felony gun charge.
“An officer who was trying to make sure there weren’t drunk drivers in Mountain View was almost killed the other night,” DA Jeff Rosen said in the statement. “It’s outrageous. If it wasn’t for luck, reflexes, and the officer’s vest, this would be a murder.”
According to the DA’s office, Choy was found in Fremont and arrested. Mountain View police initially gave his arrest location as Union City.