SAN JOSE – As a weekend of largely peaceful and joyous Cinco de Mayo celebrations got here to an in depth, police were called to analyze a double knife attack near a venue and implemented road closures to dam access to areas where Loud crowds grew, authorities said.
San Jose police announced Sunday evening that they were redirecting traffic from East Santa Clara Street in downtown and the realm of King and Story roads in East San Jose “due to illegal activity and safety concerns.”
On a related note, the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority also announced Sunday that bus riders in parts of downtown and east San Jose affected by the detours and associated road closures will experience delays of 40 minutes throughout the evening Expect as much as an hour.
When asked to supply further details, police told these news organizations that the activities included people fighting, automobile displays and other people walking on streets. Police didn’t provide any further details.
The most serious incident involved a report of a double knife attack on South King Road near Lido Way in front of Emma Prusch Farm Park at 5:27 p.m. Two people were taken to hospitals with life-threatening injuries, police said.
This location was on a piece of South King Road that was closed to traffic for a lot of the day in deference to the East San Jose Cinco de Mayo Parade, which included a highly anticipated lowrider parade. But those celebrations officially ended at 5 p.m., about half an hour before the stabbing was reported.
Police emphasized, as they did the month before the Cinco de Mayo weekend, that “traffic diversions are temporary in nature and will be lifted as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.” This was repeated to reassure residents and residents that the closure of highway exits downtown during last 12 months's Cinco de Mayo celebrations was discriminatory and unjustified.
This 12 months, city leaders and community organizations joined together to present a more collaborative approach to making sure public safety through the weekend's celebration.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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