‘I’m not on drugs!’ Man stomps on, kicks out windows of police car in 40-minute standoff

A man who heavily damaged a Fresno police SUV by smashing in the roof and kicking out the windows in front of police headquarters Thursday afternoon was taken into custody after a grappling match atop the car.

The man, identified as Adolfo Martinez Lopez, 23, appeared to sustain minor injuries in the incident. Lopez shouted “I’m not on drugs!” as he was taken to the ground by multiple officers, bringing to an end a standoff that lasted about 40 minutes.

Lt. Mark Hudson said Lopez was to be booked on charges of felony vandalism. He would also face booking for injuring an officer who sustained a possible broken finger in the incident.

About 100 bystanders, many from the nearby Fresno County Courthouse, watched much of the noontime event as Lopez jumped up and down on the vehicle, challenged officers to fight with verbal obscenities and flipped off the crowd. He removed his belt at one point and brandished it as a weapon before an officer snatched it away from him.

Police, who appeared to show a great deal of restraint, drew a round of applause after a motorcycle sergeant climbed atop the cruiser to remove Lopez after about one-half hour of negotiations. Other officers grabbed Lopez as he fell and took him to the ground. Several officers sustained cuts from broken glass on the damaged SUV and nearby asphalt.

“Why’d you do it, dude?” Lopez was asked, as he was wheeled into an ambulance.

“What does that matter?” he retorted.

The incident began as officers were called to M and Mariposa streets about 11:45 a.m., where a man was reported to be vandalizing the SUV.

This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 1:00 PM.