On Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at approximately 3:22 PM, Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers responded to the 400 block of Pala Avenue for a report of a felony battery of an elder. The victim’s adult son, identified as Richard Chavoya, struck his mother causing injury. While responding, officers received information that the suspect was armed with a handgun. Officers arrived on scene and safely evacuated the victim and an additional occupant of the residence and attempted to contact the suspect. Chavoya retreated to the rear of the residence and refused to surrender to officers. Based upon the information that Chavoya was armed with a handgun, officers remained outside of the residence while trying to communicate with the suspect to safely surrender.
The victim was later transported to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation and was released from the hospital. Crisis negotiators from the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety as well as the Santa Clara County Mobile Crisis Response Team responded and began negotiations with the suspect. During negotiations, the suspect presented himself from the inside of the residence and pointed a handgun at officers in a threatening manner. Officers discharged their weapons, in defense of their lives, and the suspect retreated back into the rear of the residence.
Negotiations resumed for about 7 hours and at approximately 10:30 PM, Suspect Chavoya safely surrendered to officers and was arrested without further incident. After an evaluation it was determined that he was uninjured and was later booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and felony battery. No officers or community members were injured during the incident.
A search of the residence was conducted after obtaining a search warrant and a loaded Beretta 9mm handgun was located under the suspect’s pillow in his bedroom. This is an ongoing criminal investigation and no additional information is available for release at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Detective Matthew Hutchison or Detective Corine Abernathy of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety at (408) 730-7100.
Media Contact: Captain Ryan Yin 408-730-7135
