Hit-and-run driver smashes into San Jose jiu-jitsu school

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Police in San Jose are looking for the driver who smashed through the front of a well-known martial arts school and kept going.

Caio Terra, a 12-time jiu-jitsu world champion from Brazil, opened the academy in 2011. He showed ABC7 News the damage inside.

"But he was probably [going] a crazy high speed because this is brick," Terra said.

On Sunday afternoon he said a driver ran a red light, t-boned a car and crashed right into the front of his studio at Caio Terra Academy.

"He came through and pretty much took all of the brick out and the window," Terra said.

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Now a wall of plywood stands in its place.

Terra said luckily on a Sunday afternoon, no one was inside.

"I was more concerned about the people - material damage can always be fixed," Terra said.

Down the street, Diridon Market, a convenience store shared surveillance video with ABC7 News. The owner believes a truck that can be seen rounding the corner without stopping was the hit and run suspect. He gave this footage to the police. Terra said any video helps.

"It surprised me because since they hit another car, they t-boned another car and could have potentially killed someone," Terra said. "I just thought that it was inhumane that they didn't stop."

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Terra says when he opened the gym, his goal was to build a place where he would be happy training.

"So I'm happy a lot of people feel the same way," he said. "Here in our classes, we try to teach better. We try to teach people we should always care for others, that's why there's tapping and verbal tapping in jiu-jitsu. You're never supposed to hurt anyone."

Police say their investigation is ongoing, but Terra is hopeful the surveillance video will help.

For now, Terra said they will use their other room to train and hold classes. The mat in the room that was crashed into will be replaced in case of glass leftover.