SAN JOSE — The recent arrest of a disgraced former San Jose police officer — scandalized last year by accusations that he was masturbating while working a call — involved a road rage spree in which he allegedly terrorized and chased a car full of people across the city, then attacked another driver before trying to flee from police, court records show.
Matthew Dominguez, 33, was arrested the night of Nov. 17 on Interstate 280 near the Fourth Street onramp after a chase, capping a roughly hour-long episode that landed him in jail, facing felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving while eluding a police officer, as well as a misdemeanor charge for allegedly throwing a bottle at another motorist.
There is no indication in an accompanying police report that Dominguez was impaired by drugs or alcohol. In October, he was the subject of a domestic-violence restraining order in which an ex-girlfriend stated his mental health was declining while alleging that he stalked, assaulted and verbally abused her.
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The police report narrative in the road rage case begins with three people telling investigators that around 9 p.m. on Nov. 17, they were in a Toyota Prius leaving a restaurant near Foxworthy Avenue when the driver took a right turn in front of Dominguez’s vehicle, claiming that he had enough space to do so safely.
Dominguez, driving a distinct red Alfa Romeo, allegedly pulled in front of the Prius, stopping before getting out and gesturing obscenely at the vehicle’s three occupants. Then on a side street a short distance away, Dominguez allegedly tried to force his way into the Prius and at one point might have jumped onto the vehicle, according to multiple witness statements from local residents.
As the Prius driver tried to leave, Dominguez rammed them with his car, according to the police report. He then reportedly followed the car nearly seven miles — from Almaden Expressway to downtown San Jose — where the Prius driver said he eluded the trailing Dominguez and flagged down San Jose State University Police officers. By then, Dominguez could not be immediately located.
But he apparently turned up an hour later, seven miles north near Penitencia Creek Road and North Capitol Avenue, when police got a call from a motorist reporting a road rage incident and describing a vehicle similar to that of Dominguez. The caller reported that its driver threw a bottle at their car, yelling that he was “untouchable because he was American,” according to the police report.
San Jose police eventually spotted Dominguez’s car in the area and tried to conduct a traffic stop, with officers reporting that Dominguez sped away from them. He was chased from I-680 into where the freeway becomes I-280 near downtown, and was eventually taken into custody. Police wrote that he was later identified by the other motorists as their assailant.
At his Nov. 22 arraignment, Dominguez was remanded to the Main Jail in San Jose and his bail remained at the $105,000 amount set at his initial booking. He was ordered to appear in the county’s mental health treatment court Dec. 18, and could be eligible for supervised release if he is transferred to a treatment program, court records show. His next court appearance for the road-rages charges is Jan. 2.
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Dominguez gained infamy in May 2022 after he was arrested and charged with indecent exposure based on allegations that while he worked a domestic-disturbance call the previous April, members of the family who called police saw Dominguez masturbating.
Following that arrest, a 25-year-old Menlo Park woman reported that she was groped by Dominguez at a 2021 Memorial Day party at the home of another San Jose police officer. Prosecutors initially declined to charge Dominguez, but changed course after she went public, and added a misdemeanor sexual battery count against the officer.
Another woman, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI by Dominguez in December 2021, later came forward to claim that while transporting her, the officer squeezed her breast under the guise of undoing her seat belt. That claim led to another misdemeanor sexual battery charge for Dominguez.
Dominguez’s next court hearing for the sexual misconduct charges is scheduled for Dec. 6.
