Police officers pursued and shot a man who allegedly took off his clothes and began chasing small children Friday in San Jose.

The erratic naked man led officers on a pursuit, which ended with him being shot and arrested at a busy West San Jose shopping plaza, witnesses and authorities said. The man was hospitalized late Friday in critical condition, police said.

"He was still naked and went running toward (the children)," witness Jackie Skinner said. "They were screaming and crying."

When police arrived on scene, neighbors said the man jumped in his truck. When the man drove off he hit another truck and led police on a chase.

The pursuit at around 2 p.m. prompted the shutdown of Stevens Creek Boulevard, near a Safeway parking lot at Lawrence Expressway. A tense scene unfolded around the shopping plaza with a swarm of officers descending upon the area.

Multiple witnesses described a police pursuit and an officer-involved shooting in San Jose Friday afternoon which led to heavy police presence in a busy market area at Steven's Creek Boulevard and Lawrence Expressway in San Jose Friday afternoon. Scott Budman reports.

A witness, who did not want to be identified and was driving on Steven's Creek and Lawrence Expressway, said he saw police officers shooting the truck multiple times.

The witness said that when he pulled over by the side of the road, a number of police officers were approaching the truck, which was smoking at that point.

"I heard them ask the guy inside to come out but he didn't," the witness said.

At that point, the witness said, at least three officers fired at least nine shots at the car. Officers eventually dragged the man outside the truck. "He lay still for a bit, and then moved," the witness said.

Footage from NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger showed the truck's contents strewn across the road in front of the Safeway. Bullet holes dotted its surface.

It was not known late Friday if the man was armed.

NBC Bay Area's Scott Budman contributed to this report.