Masked man steals car from northwest Fresno dealership and remains on the loose

Fresno police are looking for a suspect who was wearing a masquerade mask while stealing a car from a dealership Wednesday.

Lt. Joe Gomez said the incident happened at around 5:10 p.m. in northwest Fresno when officers received a call of a man kicking store windows on Blythe and Shaw Avenues.

Gomez said the man then crossed the street to a dealership, where employees were showing a car to family. The man pushed the group out of the way and jumped into a gray Dodge Charger.

Some employees got into cars and began to chase after the suspect, who police believe is homeless.

According to Gomez, the suspect drove erratically before crashing the stolen car into a pile of wood chips near Ashlan Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, about a mile from the dealership.

The car ended up erupting in flames, Gomez added. The suspect then fled from the crash.

The suspect is described as having long hair, wearing dark clothing with a gray masquerade mask.

This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 8:51 PM.