Woman struck during hit-and-run that occurs near pro-Palestine demonstration in NE Fresno

A man driving a truck and another man on a bicycle got into a heated argument Saturday night near the area where a pro-Palestine demonstration was being held in northeast Fresno.

And it was a bystander woman who ended up with a broken bone.

Fresno police received 911 calls of the disturbance around. 6 p.m. in the parking lot near the P.F. Changs restaurant in the River Park Shopping Center. A pro-Palestine demonstration was being held several feet away, closer to the roadway near the intersection of Blackstone and Nees avenues.

Lt. Zeb Price said a 60-year-old man in a pickup truck got into an argument with a bicyclist who was affiliated with the demonstration.

The bicyclist began punching the truck driver through the vehicle’s window.

That’s when the truck driver sped off and struck a woman who was walking in the P.F. Changs parking lot.

The woman, who also was tied with the pro-Palestine demonstration, suffered a broken ankle. She was transported to Fresno Regional Community Medical Center, where she was in stable condition.

The bicyclist was not injured, though his bike was struck and damaged by the fleeing truck.

The man driving the pickup was later detained by police and faces the possibility of a hit-and-run charge, as well as driving under the influence.

Price said there were approximately 50 witnesses who came up to police. However, it was not immediately known what the truck driver and bicyclist were arguing about.

The bicyclist could be facing assault charges, Price added.

The pro-Palestine demonstration continued throughout the disturbance.

This is the second time in the past two years that someone has been injured near or at a pro-Palestine demonstration.

In May 2021, a man pepper sprayed protesters near the same location by the River Park Shopping Center.

This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 8:33 PM.