Police investigate apparent rolling gunbattle near Fresno State

Fresno police Wednesday detained one man as detectives investigated what appeared to be a rolling gunbattle that ended in the crash of the suspect’s car near Fresno State.

Police received multiple calls around noon about the incident, which appeared to begin near East Gettysburg Avenue and North Fresno Street, said Capt. Mindy Casto.

Arriving officers soon found a Chrysler 300 that had crashed into a wall near a church at North Jackson Avenue and Gettysburg, about a mile away. One man was detained as officers waited for a warrant to search the car. Several people reportedly ran from the car.

Detectives investigated reports that a light-colored Acura or a similar car was also involved.

Initial reports from witnesses were that someone was firing an AR-15 or similar weapon from one of the cars, but that was not confirmed by investigators at the crash scene.

Casto added that the witnesses reported that both vehicles were driving recklessly during the incident, including driving over road medians. She said it was fortunate that the incident happened during a school recess when traffic was light.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867.

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 2:09 PM.