Alameda County sheriff's deputy shot in Union City; suspect at large

UNION CITY, Calif. - An Alameda County sheriff's deputy was shot and wounded in the line of duty in Union City on Wednesday afternoon.

The deputy was shot in the arm around 1:30 p.m. while serving an eviction notice near a row of warehouses in the vicinity of Dowe Avenue and Alvarado Niles Road, KTVU has learned.

The deputy was in the process of evicting at least one person from a commercial building on Dowe Avenue.

Other responding deputies took the deputy from the scene. The injured deputy was then transported to a local trauma center by ambulance. While the injuries are critical, they are deemed non-life-threatening.

Police said the shooter is still in the area, and he is considered armed and dangerous. 

By Wednesday night, SWAT units surrounded the industrial area, where there is still an active scene. Police used helicopters and technology, including drones, in their search for the suspect. Law enforcement is looking to take down the gunman. A sergeant said they are making good progress on the search and that they would stay at the scene for as long as it takes. 

At around 8:15 p.m., a KTVU crew heard police using flash bangs inside a building on Dowe Ave. 

Other law enforcement agencies, including Union City, Newark and BART police rushed to the scene to help. 

In a late afternoon news conference, officials from the sheriff's office and Union City Police Department said the deputy has been with the force for five years, but they declined to disclose his identity. 

No suspect information has been released. It is unclear if the deputies involved were able to return fire at the suspect. 

The deputies carrying out the eviction work with the department's civil unit. They wear body-worn cameras, are armed and are in full uniform. Alameda County Sheriff's Department Capt. Tya Modeste said there would be no question that the deputies involved were law enforcement. She said at least two deputies carry out evictions and that the civil unit also serves court documents as part of their duties. 

"We're not sure if they were using that space for a residence or if they were using it for a business. Those details are still being worked out," Capt. Modeste said. 

Neither Union City police, nor the sheriff's department had any knowledge of previously being called to the scene. 

Aerial images from SkyFOX show dozens of police cars lined streets in the area. Officers were seen with their weapons drawn.

The area remains locked down as officials search for the suspect. Area businesses have been told to shelter-in-place. 

Sgt. Jean Jimenez with Union City P.D. disclosed that some people have been detained as part of their investigation, but they do not consider any of them to be the shooting suspect. 

Union City Councilmember Jaime Patino came to the scene. He said the sheriff's department is serving an increasing number of evictions now that there is no longer a moratorium and there are inherent dangers to these situations. 

"Some have been there two or three years, not paying rent. Now you're telling them to leave," Patino said. 

The large law enforcement presence startled people in the area. 

Nothing ever happens in Union City, so it's definitely shocking to see that something like this could happen here," said a woman who gave the name, Fritzi. She lives in Hayward but was in the area. 

Officials said their investigation is ongoing and that they are looking into the motive as to why this happened. At the afternoon news conference, officials did not want to speculate about the details of this shooting. 

"He can tell us at some point what happened," Capt. Modest said of the deputy who was shot. "He gets to live another day and be with his family and we're thankful for that." 

This happened a day after a shot was fired while the sheriff's office was handling an eviction in Oakland.