SAN JOSE — A man suspected in a home invasion of an apartment on the outskirts of San Jose State hopped in a barrel to hide from police as they closed in on him.

Police say he did it it so fast, the suspect didn’t notice that the barrel happened to be full of used lard from a nearby taco truck — the day after Cinco de Mayo no less.

The officers, however, figured it out pretty quickly. And after a confrontation early Sunday in which police fired at but missed the suspect, he was taken into custody, grease and all.

“It is certainly not something we train for in the academy,” Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Monday.

Officers were called around 6:50 a.m. to an apartment complex near East William and South Ninth streets for reports of an active home-invasion robbery by two male suspects, at least one of whom was armed.

The officers arrived as the suspects were running away. A 17-year-old boy was caught and arrested while trying to hide in a nearby yard, police said, and the second suspect was spotted climbing onto a carport roof.

“While on the rooftop, the officers saw the suspect climb out of a large 55-gallon drum,” Garcia said. “The officers saw a handgun in the suspect’s hand and immediately gave him commands to drop the handgun.”

“The suspect looked at the officer, (and) did not drop the gun,” Garcia added. “At this point the officer discharged his weapon at the suspect.”

None of the shots hit the suspect, but he surrendered after jumping down from the roof into a back lot and was approached by another officer, Garcia said.

The adult suspect, identified as 18-year-old Ezequiel Flores, did not fire at the officers. A handgun believed to belong to the suspect was recovered, police said.

Investigators believe Flores and the teen suspect knew the residents who lived in the apartment that they allegedly broke into. One hour before the robbery, police said they received report of a disturbance at the same apartment, but it was unclear how that was related to the subsequent crime.

Flores was treated at a local hospital for a leg injury “which more than likely occurred when he was jumping over a fence,” police said. He was booked into the Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of robbery, burglary, brandishing a firearm at police, possession of stolen property, and possession of a loaded stolen firearm. The 17-year-old suspect was booked at Juvenile Hall.

Garcia said taking Flores into custody was a moderate challenge given the grease, but noted that’s partially why the back seats of the police fleet consist of molded plastic to allow for easy cleanup.

“I don’t care what he was covered in,” Garcia said in reference to the oily arrest. “He gave up peacefully.”

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The officer who fired his weapon, a 21-year police veteran, was placed on paid administrative leave and an investigation was launched in conjunction with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, which is routine after an officer-involved shooting in the county.

The encounter was recorded on officers’ body-worn cameras, but there was no word given for its public release.

Garcia said though the investigation into the shooting has just started, he believes the involved officer did not put anyone else at risk with the bullets he fired.

“The officer, he had a very clear backdrop, and didn’t fear there would be a round he couldn’t account for,” Garcia said. “It was a relatively distant shot that the officer took. I think the officer used sound tactics.”

The incident marked SJPD’s third officer-involved shooting of the year, one of them being fatal.