Suspected cell phone bandit arrested in Fresno’s Tower District

A man who police say shoved a woman to the ground while trying to take her cell phone in Fresno’s Tower District was taken into custody following a yard to yard search Friday afternoon.

The incident took place about 1 p.m. near Olive and Lucerne avenues. Police say the woman was near a hair salon when she was assaulted by the suspect, who was not identified immediately because he was reportedly refusing to provide his name.

After several witnesses chased the suspect and pointed out where he might be hiding, officers sealed off Echo Avenue and Lucerne and searched yard-to-yard with police dogs. The suspect was taken into custody after he was bitten by a dog. He was taken to a hospital to be checked out before officers planned to book him into Fresno County Jail.

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Suspected cell phone bandit arrested in Fresno’s Tower District."