California police make several arrests in connection with violent spectacle that left officer injured

By Robert Salonga
Bay Area News Group

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Authorities say several more people have been arrested in connection with a sideshow that gained notoriety last month after a video appeared to showseveral people hit and trampled a policeman’s vehicle trying to reach an injured spectator near Santana Row.

San Jose Police Acting Chief Paul Joseph confirmed the arrests of all six people seen in the video who struck, lunged at or tried to force entry into a patrol SUV during the June 15 riot at Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue.

“If they could attack a uniformed officer like that, what could they do to anyone else? So I don’t think it was just an attack on an officer,” Joseph said at a news conference Monday. “It was an attack on our community and the trust that the public has in our ability to protect them.”

He added: “If you attack a San Jose police officer trying to help an injured person just to become TikTok famous… rest assured, we will find you.”

Police said those arrested included Matthew Nolan, 20, of San Mateo, the masked man seen clearly in the video jumping on the hood of a police SUV and kicking its windshield. Jason Auby, 21, of San Francisco, is accused of jumping on the vehicle. Sean Auby, 18, of San Jose, and a 16-year-old boy from Brentwood in Contra Costa County were also arrested, but their alleged roles in the incident were not described by police.

The cost of the expansion will be $1.9 million and will be covered by a federal grant.

“My mission is to break that stereotype and tell these officers to stop and realize, ‘Hey, there might be something else going on here,’” attorney Alex Mann said.

Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter, 27, was named Officer of the Month just five days before he was shot and killed

“We give them insight into why we do what we do, and then we give them hands-on experience to understand how we do it,” MCSO spokesman Mike Swafford said.

The arrests Joseph announced Monday included: three that have already been announcedGabe Durbin, 22, and Tyler Durbin, 26, who lived in Arizona before their arrests, are accused of participating in the encounter with the police car, and Aidan Rheault, 24, of Sunnyvale, is suspected of being the driver who struck and injured a bystander who authorities say the officer was trying to help.

Also at the news conference were Mayor Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, who warned that those involved in riots that injure others and impede the work of police and emergency services will be held accountable.

“This is not a game,” Rosen said. “This is real life, and anyone who comes in here treating the residents and our officers like they’re characters in a 30-second virtual reality video game is going to be in real trouble.”

According to police and eyewitness footage posted on social media, just before 7 p.m. on June 15, a reserve police officer was first to respond to a report of a spectator who had been struck and injured by the driver of a Nissan sedan performing a doughnut-making demonstration near the intersection.

As the officer drove about 30 yards from the scene, he was quickly surrounded by a crowd, some wearing ski masks. Several people began punching and kicking the officer’s patrol SUV as the officer backed away from the crowd. The video shows a masked person jumping on the hood of the vehicle and stomping and kicking the windshield.

Rheault was arrested June 17 in Mountain View, while Gabe and Tyler Durbin were arrested June 19 in San Juan Bautista. The Brentwood teen’s arrest was reported June 25. Jason Auby, Sean Auby and Nolan were arrested June 27.

Police said that when Sean Auby was arrested in San Jose, officers seized two “ghost guns” — privately manufactured firearms without serial numbers — as well as a 3D printer and materials he allegedly used to make the illegal weapons.

Durbin brothers charged with assaulting police officer and vandalism, were released from prison on Friday after a judge denied their requests to be allowed to return to Arizona but agreed to transfer them to a nearby sobriety treatment center.

All of the leaders who spoke at the police news conference emphasized that only one of the people arrested in connection with the June 15 demonstration and its aftermath is a San Jose resident, and how that reflects the need for a multi-jurisdictional response. SJPD Deputy Chief Brandon Sanchez said the police department is working to plant the seeds of a regional task force dedicated to the issue.

—