Alleged hit-run driver crashes into Fig Garden home, faces DUI charges, Fresno police say

A man fleeing a traffic collision was taken into custody in the Fig Garden area Wednesday after he slammed into a house, police reported.

The man, identified as Levi Benard, 32, faces charges of driving under the influence, said Fresno Police Lt. Tim Tietjen, who described Bernard as being extremely intoxicated during the incident.

The incident began about 9 a.m. as a woman was involved in a traffic collision with Benard at North Blackstone and Barstow avenues, Tietjen said. The woman got out of her car, believing that the other party was going to exchange information with her. Instead, he sped away, and witnesses followed.

At East Indianapolis and North Del Mar, Bernard crashed into the house. Arriving police attempted to take him into custody, but Benard ran, jumping several fences before he was captured in a back yard about a block away.

Tietjen said that because of his high level of intoxication, he “put the community at extreme risk” while he was driving.

This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 11:24 AM.