Man steals pickup, crashes into medical building and starts fire, Fresno police say

Fresno police Wednesday arrested a man and charged him with stealing a pickup in northwest Fresno and crashing it into an office building at North Palm and East Browning avenues as he was being chased by the victim.

The crash sparked a fire in the building, and it was extinguished by firefighters. The suspect was identified as James Rogers, who was captured hiding in a trash can near the crash scene. A woman in anther car was also injured and hospitalized when the pickup collided with her before it careened into the building.

The incident began shortly before 9 a.m., when the man took a new pickup from a home near North Fresno Street and East Bullard Avenue. A family member witnessed the theft and followed him in another car.

While the man was trying to evade the pursuing woman, he collided with the car at Browning before plowing into the structure. He ran as the truck started burning and police dogs were used in the search. Police reported finding a fully loaded firearm magazine in the truck, but did not recover the weapon.

This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 9:53 AM.