After crashing his truck, he threw a knife at officers and punched a K-9, CHP says

A 41-year-old man who was brandishing a knife is recovering in the hospital after a scuffle Saturday with law enforcement in Fresno County. During the incident he was bitten by a K-9 dog and shocked several times with a Taser, according to California Highway Patrol.

Investigators believe Jesus Rodriguez-Prado may have been under the influence of drugs during the encounter, which happened in a rural area just southwest of Fresno, said Sgt. Mike Trenholm.

He’s accused of assaulting a party guest at Clem’s Hall, 3383 W. Muscat Ave., after crashing his black Chevy pickup into a telephone pole around 5:20 p.m. Saturday.

Rodriguez-Prado allegedly pulled a knife on the party guest for unknown reasons, and law enforcement was called to the scene. By the time Fresno County sheriff’s deputies arrived just after 6 p.m., Rodriguez-Prado had ran off, heading south on Valentine Avenue into a vineyard, holding the knife.

The deputies, including a K-9 dog, followed on foot behind the suspect, Trenholm said. Two CHP officers also assisted with the foot chase.

When Rodriguez-Prado exited the vineyard and ran into a field, he allegedly threw his knife at the officers and deputies behind him, before he was taken to the ground by law enforcement. Trenholm said the sheriff’s dog latched onto Rodriguez-Prado’s right wrist, and the suspect allegedly punched the dog.

A CHP officer deployed his Taser to restrain Rodriguez-Prado and managed to handcuff the suspect’s injured right wrist, according to Trenholm.

But that still wasn’t enough to restrain the suspect. Rodriguez-Prado was shocked around three times total with the Taser before both wrists were finally handcuffed by law enforcement, Trenholm said. “He resisted the entire time,” he said.

When an ambulance arrived to the scene, Rodriguez-Prado again became violent, fighting the paramedics, Trenholm said. The CHP officers and deputies helped paramedics restrain the suspect on a gurney, Trenholm said.

Rodriguez-Prado was taken to Community Regional Medical Center for treatment. He had a laceration to his head from the vehicle crash and also suffered dog bites. Trenholm said investigators haven’t confirmed the kind of drugs the suspects may have used, but they believe he was under the influence of a stimulant.

Rodriguez-Prado remained at the hospital late Saturday night, but is expected to be booked into the Fresno County jail on suspicion of hit-and-run, DUI, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, Trenholm said.

This story was originally published January 13, 2018 at 10:31 PM with the headline "After crashing his truck, he threw a knife at officers and punched a K-9, CHP says."