Fresno police target southeast crime spike

Fresno police are focusing on the Kings Canyon corridor and nearby neighborhoods to knock down a surge in violent crime in southeast Fresno, where shootings, robberies and assaults are all up in the last 28 days, according to a monthly review of crime data by the department’s command staff.

Robberies grew from 10 in the previous 28 days to 21 in the current time frame. Shootings jumped to 15 compared to four, and aggravated assaults went from 33 to 45. Among the crimes: three women were shot, a bullet grazed the head of a man in a drive-by shooting and a Fresno police officer was assaulted at a McDonald’s by a man who grabbed the officer’s tactical baton during a fight and struck him in the head with it.

Lt. Jose Garza, southeast commander for the region roughly south of McKinley Avenue and east of Highway 41, said the uptick is an aberration for the area, which has experienced the least violent crime of the city’s four sectors so far this year.

Garza said the number of shootings is the most he has seen in the area and more than the last surge in August 2014. He said he believes gangs are a major factor.

“There has been an increase of gangs near Kings Canyon,” he said. “That’s going to lead to an increase of gang activity.”

The Kings Canyon corridor extends from First Avenue to Fowler Avenue, but the main focus of the police effort is from Chestnut to Peach avenues, an area with big box stores and large parking lots. Thirteen of the robberies involved firearms and eight were “strong arm,” or done through physical force or intimidation. Three of the robberies involved businesses, and in the rest individuals were targeted. Garza said a number of the victims were Hispanic and spoke Spanish as their first language. Items taken included cellphones and jewelry. The robberies tended to happen between 8 and 10 p.m.

Other problem areas in the district include North Peach and East Olive avenues, East Lane Avenue near South Willow Avenue and Pilibos Park, in the 4900 block of East Lane.

Garza said the police effort to reverse the trend is to “put cops on the dots,” or flood more police, including tactical officers, into the area where the crimes are taking place. He noted that a similar effort has begun to reverse a crime spike on West Shaw Avenue in northwest Fresno.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Fresno police target southeast crime spike."