Fleeing bandits dropped cash, opened fire after smoke shop robbery, police say

Bandits who struck at a smoke shop west of Highway 99 Wednesday opened fire on a pursuer and also dropped getaway money as they sped away, police reported.

The heist took place at the business in a strip mall at Shields and Brawley avenues about 9:30 a.m. Fresno police spokesman Felipe Uribe said. The armed suspects entered the shop, then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The boyfriend of the female clerk jumped in his car in pursuit.

The robbers, in a white SUV, pulled over at Polk and Dakota avenues and one suspect fired several gunshots at the pursuer, who stopped the chase.

Police were not able to find shots that struck anything, said Uribe. The bandits remained at large.

This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 10:14 AM.