SAN JOSE — The onslaught of gunfire at unsuspecting cars on Blossom Hill Road had gone on for three months without any publicly known leads.

One driver was grazed, but no one had been seriously injured, and residents who lived in the corridor between Snell Avenue and Highway 101 knew that a few inches could be the difference between a scare and tragedy.

San Jose police Officer Mel Dunn carried that in his mind as he patrolled the area last month, and his sharp eye that spotted a dark car in a dark spot in the dark of night is credited with helping lead to the arrest Wednesday of 30-year-old Michael James Lee Lewis, who police say is responsible for at least four of the shootings of passing vehicles that terrorized the area for three months.

“He’s a phenomenal cop,” said Sgt. Enrique Garcia, who recently had worked as Dunn’s supervisor. “He has an instinct to go find crooks. It’s evident with the job he did in this case.”

A total of 10 shootings were reported between May 4 and August 5 on Blossom Hill Road near the crossings of Poughkeepsie, Monterey and Cottle roads. The vehicles were each struck by a bullet, and two drivers were injured either by broken glass or grazes.

Police have not disclosed a motive for the shootings, whose victims had little in common with each other, suggesting random targeting.

The break in the case occurred Aug. 14 when Dunn was patrolling the Blossom Hill Road area and noticed a black Dodge Charger parked alone at 2:30 a.m. in front of a Mountain Mike’s pizza spot near Snell Avenue, according to police. It was the type of car that detectives had tenuously linked to the shootings.

Dunn got out of his car to investigate. Police say that as Dunn approached the Charger, he noticed someone behind the wheel, and seconds later, the car’s engine started and the driver sped off onto Blossom Hill Road.

The three-year SJPD officer got back into his car and pulled the car over a short distance away near Blossom Hill and Snell. Dunn ordered the driver to get out of the car, which again sped away, this time to northbound Highway 85.

Dunn, now joined by other officers, chased the Charger to the Bascom Avenue exit, where the driver lost control of the car. The driver fled on foot and was eventually arrested about a mile north of where he ditched his vehicle.

That driver was Lewis, police said. He was booked on suspicion of felony evading, reckless driving, delaying arrest, and possessing illegal narcotics and associated paraphernalia. It was not enough to keep him in jail, as Lewis was soon freed. But detectives were careful not to tip their hand about what they suspected about Lewis, and rather than challenge his release they continued building their case against him.

Key to that pursuit was that the car chase gave them enough material to eventually secure a search warrant for his home, which police said was in a neighborhood near the site of the shootings. The search turned up a handgun, which detectives submitted to the Santa Clara County crime lab for testing.

Examining both the gun and bullets and casings associated with shootings, the gun found in Lewis’ home was deemed a match to four of the 10 shootings. On Wednesday afternoon, police arrested Lewis at an undisclosed location in San Jose and booked him into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of four counts of attempted murder and one count of being a felon with a firearm.

Police would not comment on whether they believe Lewis is connected to the other six shootings or if there are any other suspects being sought.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office had not filed formal charges as of Thursday afternoon, but Lewis was expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon. Court records on Lewis’ criminal history in the county were not available Thursday.

San Jose police Chief Eddie Garcia said the arrest was the latest in a notable run of investigative breakthroughs over the past month in the face of understaffing that has been declared a city emergency. Wednesday, he lauded his officers for solving a case that struck fear in the hearts of residents.

“Understanding the fear and anxiety our community felt from this violent individual’s actions, coupled by the fact that my officers were actively looking for this armed suspect, it would be an understatement to state how proud and relieved I am that he was not only taken into custody, but that it was done without further incident,” he said.

BLOSSOM HILL ROAD SHOOTINGS

Following is a list of dates and times when motorists reported being shot at while driving in the area of Blossom Hill Road between Snell Avenue and Highway 101 in South San Jose. All victims incurred property damage except where injuries are indicated.