Man who hopped big rig to escape pursuer? Carjacking suspect, police say

That man who hopped on the side of a big rig to escape his pursuers on Jan. 9 in a widely viewed video? Turns out he was a carjacking suspect, Fresno police say.

Sgt. Brian Valles said police are searching for the suspect, who tried to take a car from a woman at a gas station near Highway 99 and Jensen Avenue.

The reason the man was fleeing pursuers was not clear in last week’s video. But Tuesday, police released a second video, which shows what happened before the suspect hopped on the truck. The new video shows the suspect tossing a trash can at another man chasing him.

Valles said the suspect approached a woman pumping gas at a 76 gas station and grabbed a lanyard containing car keys out of her pocket. The woman struggled with the suspect before bystanders came to her aid, forcing the suspect to flee.

Valles said it is not recommended that victims get into a struggle with criminals, but sometimes those reactions are instinctive.

The suspect is described as a man in his late 40s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 165 pounds. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867.

This story was originally published January 15, 2019 at 2:24 PM.