FREMONT — Faced with a decision to either accept an armed intruder’s challenge to a fight or flee, a city resident jumped from the second story balcony of his Walnut Avenue apartment and darted off, while the assailant chased behind him, occasionally firing the weapon, according to Fremont police.
A few minutes later, the victim somehow disarmed his assailant and placed him in a chokehold, knocking him unconscious, until police arrive.
Now, 43-year-old Jason Kamae, of Tracy, has been charged with attempted murder, residential burglary, and illegal gun possession by a felon in relation to the harrowing Oct. 16 incident. Kamae denied he was out for blood that night; according to police, he claimed he only fired during the foot chase in order to “scare” the victim, court records show.
The alleged victim, who this newspaper is not naming, would later tell police that he was home in his apartment when Kamae allegedly duct-taped over his security camera and yelled at him through an open window, challenging him to a fight. Kamae may have been angry with the man because they were both romantically interested in the same woman, police said.
When the resident responded to Kamae’s challenge by dialing 911, police say Kamae broke through the window and entered the apartment, gun in hand, causing the resident to leap from a second-story balcony onto the ground below. Kamae allegedly fired at least twice during the ensuing foot chase, which ended when the Fremont resident ran up to a second-story landing in the apartment complex and surprised Kamae, disarming him and placing him in a chokehold, authorities said.
Kamae, still unconscious when police arrived, was arrested.
Kamae was not allowed to possess guns due to convictions in 2001 and 2005, for statutory rape and receiving stolen property, respectively, in Orange County, according to the criminal complaint. He has pleaded not guilty in the attempted murder case and is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. He is next due in court in December.
Last March, Kamae was charged with violating his probation in the statutory rape case by possessing ammunition that was found in a backpack during a search of his room at a Motel 6 in Fremont, according to court records. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor last July and was sentenced to 10 days behind bars.