Davis man shot by San Jose police allegedly stole Corvette in Sacramento
Details are scarce about the life of Mohamed Husien, the Davis resident shot dead by San Jose police after what law enforcement officials describe as a violent, crime spree that started in Sacramento and involved stolen cars, armed robberies and a shootout. Here’s what we know so far:
A red corvette and an armed robbery
The flurry of events that took Husien through several cities and counties started in Sacramento on Jan. 17, when he stole a red Corvette from a local dealership, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph alleged Thursday. Later that day, Joseph said, Husien committed two armed robberies, one of them of a liquor store in San Jose.
The next day, Husien, who police said had a criminal record in Northern California, allegedly committed one robbery on the Peninsula and another in San Jose on Coleman Road.
Police briefly pursued Husien on Wednesday after the red Corvette popped up in the department’s automatic license reader system. The car was later found, but it was empty, Joseph said at the news conference.
Soon after, at around 2 p.m., police received a call that Husien was at a San Jose car dealership, brandishing a gun. He made off with another Corvette—this one green—and fled the scene, Joseph said.
To Hollister in a green Corvette
Police encountered Husien again later that afternoon in Hollister, where they followed him on a slow-speed chase in the green Corvette, Joseph said. The vehicle became disabled and Husien, still armed with a handgun, carjacked another vehicle and sped off, this time on the freeway to San Jose.
There, police pursued Husien on city streets until just before 4 p.m., when the Corvette crashed and he emerged from the vehicle firing multiple rounds from his gun. He circled the car occupied by Sgt. Silva, whose first name was not released, firing at him and entering the driver’s side of the vehicle, Joseph said.
He then fled the vehicle, where he was hit by one of the police cars and shot by several officers, Joseph said. Silva was rushed to the hospital with a head wound, Joseph said.
“It’s the kind of footage people might expect from an action movie,” Joseph said. “But this was not a movie. This was a battle for that sergeant’s life, unfolding in the middle of our city, with members of the public in the crossfire.”
Sergeant released from hospital
Silva, a 13-year-veteran of the San Jose police force, was released Thursday from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. He exited through a hallway lined with fellow officers, a bandage stuck to the side of his shaved head, a video posted on the police department’s Facebook page shows. Fellow officers applauded and saluted him.
Husien’s background
Police said Husien lived in Davis, and online records do indicate someone with the same name and age lived in an apartment complex in the college town. In Joseph’s news conference on Thursday, he said that Husien had a criminal history, mostly in Northern California, but did not provide details.
After the shooting on Wednesday, detectives pinpointed several armed robberies that involved someone who met Husien’s description and appeared to match his methods, but they were still being investigated, Joseph said.
“What prompted the suspect to engage in a multi-day violent rampage is still being explored and may never be fully understood,” he said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 2:50 PM.
