Citizen’s arrest in Fresno: Man pursues his stolen work truck, holds suspect for police

A Fresno man whose work truck was stolen from his driveway for the second time Friday morning said enough was enough when the suspect cursed him as he sped away.

He jumped into his SUV and took off in a pursuit that involved two collisions and a street fight before arriving police officers came to his aid and took the repeat offender into custody on multiple charges.

The victim, who said he did not want to be identified because he feared retaliation, said the last time the box truck was stolen, he lost $20,000 in tools. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.

The suspect was identified as Noe Bobadilla, 37. He is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon (the truck) and auto theft, Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega said.

The victim, an auto mechanic, said he had just loaded his truck with a water cooler and placed the keys near the console when he stepped back inside for a moment. He told police that a friend ran up to him and said that his truck was driving away.

“No way! Shoot!” he said.

The victim said he ran outside.

“Just get out of the truck,” he told the suspect, who shouted an expletive in return.

The victim jumped into the SUV and followed. During the pursuit, the suspect sideswiped the SUV and subsequently managed to ram it, blowing out a tire and causing major damage.

The pursuit ended at the Chestnut Diagonal and Dakota Avenue, near a field where police train their K-9 dogs.

The suspect ran from the truck. Witnesses directed the victim to where he was hiding. The victim said he grabbed the suspect, who punched him, so he punched him back. Officers in the nearby field saw what was happening and ran to take the suspect into custody.

This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 10:09 AM.