San José Police, City Leaders Mourn Community Service Officer Killed by Intoxicated Driver

San José Police Department and city leaders are saddened, angered and frustrated after an intoxicated driver killed a community service officer and seriously injured another.

“Today, our police family is heartbroken. We’re still just beginning to wade through the tide of emotions to come for the loss of a brave member of this police department,” Acting Police Chief Paul Joseph said at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Community service Officers Long Pham and Veronica Baer were working traffic control in the area of Monterey Road and Palm Avenue on Saturday night for an unrelated car crash when they became victims of another crash.

Police said the officers were in the roadway on Saturday, just before 10 p.m., behind flares, cones and a marked police department Ford Fusion with its lights flashing, Joseph said.

That’s when Juan Huerta-Palacios, 44, drove through the area in a 2022 Dodge Charger and struck the Fusion, which then struck Pham and Baer.

Police said Pham succumbed to his injuries despite efforts of police department staff, firefighters and medical personnel to save him.

Baer is hospitalized in serious but stable condition due to major injuries, including a dislocated shoulder, broken jaw, fractured ribs and a brain bleed, Joseph said.

“We are grateful for the excellent care she is receiving and are hopeful and anxious for her to begin her recovery. Her strength and resilience are a testament to her dedication to public service,” Joseph said.

Pham, who was born in Vietnam, came to the U.S. as an infant and attended local schools, including Evergreen Community College, police said.

“Long was gentle, polite and respectful to everyone, especially to his parents and younger brother,” Joseph said.

At the press conference, Mayor Matt Mahan called both Pham and Baer heroes for putting their safety at risk for the community.

“Long’s life, his service and his sacrifice will be remembered forever by our police department and our city,” Mahan said. “He put the safety of our community, the community he grew up in before his own. There is no more heroic act.”

Huerta-Palacios, a Morgan Hill resident, was arrested at the scene for felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. Police said he had previously been arrested for DUI in California.

Huerta-Palacios did not suffer any major injuries, but he was taken to a hospital for an “unrelated medical issue” and will be booked into county jail upon his discharge, police said.

The investigation into the crash is still active.

Mahan asked all community members to be mindful of the risks of dangerous driving or driving under the influence.

“We need to look out for each other and honor the memory of Long and so many others like him in our community and across our country. Because if we don’t, we risk taking someone else’s life,” Mahan said.

“Rest assured, the person responsible for Long’s death and Veronica’s injuries will be held accountable. This crime will not go unpunished. There will be justice for this reckless act,” Mahan said.

The incident marks the first-ever line-of-duty death of a community service officer in the department’s history, police said.

“We pray it will be the last,” Joseph said.