Shaw Avenue pursuit ends when suspect rams hydrant

A man wanted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon was taken into custody Monday morning after he crashed into a fire hydrant while trying to elude a fugitive task force, Fresno police reported.

The crash took place at East Fairmont Avenue and North First Street shortly before noon.

Lt. Mark Hudson said officers from the task force, which is made up of U.S. Marshals, sheriff’s deputies and other officers, spotted the man at the wheel of a silver BMW and tried to pull him over. The suspect sped away, at one point driving east in the westbound lanes of Shaw before driving south on First, where he struck the hydrant, sending a geyser of water skyward.

The man was taken into custody and a passenger was detained. Hudson said officers found a handgun in the car.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 12:48 PM.