Man lends crook phone, gets carjacked

A man who loaned his phone to a stranger in downtown Fresno early Wednesday ended up a carjacking victim, police reported. Officers arrested two suspects from the robbery after a pursuit that ended near McKinley and Maple avenues.

Sgt. John Romo said the incident began about 2:30 a.m. at the Denny’s restaurant parking lot near Blackstone Avenue and Divisadero Street when the victim allowed one of the suspects to make a call. When the victim asked for the phone back, one of the two crooks demanded his 1997 Saturn at knifepoint. The victim complied and the suspects sped away.

Romo said a witness followed the car onto Highway 180. Officers spotted the witness driving in an erratic fashion and made a traffic stop, where they learned about the carjacking. They followed the suspects, who were having difficulty driving a stick shift, and made a stop at McKinley and Maple avenues.

Angel Anguiano, 31, was booked on carjacking charges. Anna Maria Garcia was booked on charges of receiviing stolen property.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 7:40 PM with the headline "Man lends crook phone, gets carjacked."