Violent parking lot confrontation: Driver slams into man armed with assault rifle in Fresno

Fresno police detectives will review a viral video that shows what could have been a deadly confrontation between an armed man and another driver at a Popeyes restaurant in the central part of the city.

The incident happened late on Thursday, Nov. 11, according to the time stamp embedded in a Facebook video posted by Most Wanted Tattoo and Body Piercings on North Blackstone Avenue.

The video of the violent incident has gone viral.

It’s not known what happened before the confrontation, which shows a white Lexus SUV arriving at the empty parking lot of the Popeyes at Blackstone and East Cornell avenues about the same time as a blue Honda sedan.

The Honda driver pulls over on the Cornell side of the business to retrieve what appears to be a short-barreled assault rifle with an extended magazine.

He then drives into the parking lot and steps out with the weapon, as the SUV driver accelerates toward him. The armed man, hanging from the door of the Honda, is pushed backward along with the vehicle by the SUV until he is thrown to the ground as the SUV driver flees east on Cornell.

Police have made no arrests in the incident, but spokesman Lt. Bill Dooley on Thursday said the department was aware of the video and it was to be turned over to detectives.

This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 11:52 AM.