Police arrest San Jose man accused of brandishing machete, connected to string of violent attacks

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- San Jose police have arrested a 32-year-old man suspected in a series of unprovoked attacks that left multiple victims injured across the city over the past two months, and investigators believe additional victims may still be unidentified.

Police said Davit Martinez, a San Jose resident, was taken into custody Sunday after allegedly assaulting a family member and brandishing a machete at a home in the 600 block of Gittle Court.

Officers said Martinez barricaded himself inside the residence before special operations personnel persuaded him to surrender. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

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The arrest follows three earlier attacks that investigators say they have linked to Martinez.

The first incident occurred Feb. 23 at a gym in the 2300 block of McKee Road. According to police, an elderly man was exercising inside a 24 Hour Fitness when Martinez approached him "without provocation," punched him, pulled him to the ground and continued striking him until the victim lost consciousness. The man was transported to a hospital.

On March 8, officers responded to a felony battery in the parking lot of a supermarket in the same block of McKee Road. Police said an elderly man walking through the lot was punched and knocked to the ground, and witnesses reported the suspect continued hitting him before fleeing. The victim required stitches.

The next day, March 9, officers were called to a medical facility in the 1900 block of Monterey Road. Police said Martinez, who was a patient at the facility, punched an adult man in the head, causing him to fall backward and lose consciousness, then fled the scene.

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Detectives in the department's Assaults Unit determined all three attacks involved the same suspect and obtained a warrant for Martinez's arrest in early March. They had been searching for him until Sunday's incident at the Gittle Court home.

"Considering the pattern of these unprovoked violent attacks, our detectives believe there may be additional victims," said Stacie Shih, senior public information officer for the San Jose Police Department.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim in a similar incident, or who has information about these cases, is asked to contact Detective Soria at the SJPD Assaults Unit at 4082774161 or by email at 4793@sanjoseca.gov.

Anonymous tips can be submitted through the P3TIPS mobile app, by calling Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408947STOP or through the Crime Stoppers website. Information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.