Brazen robbery of family of vendors on Fresno street caught on video, police say
Fresno police say they are looking for a man that terrorized and injured a family of street vendors on Valentine’s Day.
Video on TikTok and Instagram has begun to make the rounds showing the man grabbing Valentine’s gifts from vendors at Tulare Avenue and First Street on Monday, police confirmed.
Nana Luz Beltran said she was with her family on that corner to sell gifts like they’ve done for 30 years when the man approached them. She said the video only caught the tail end of what happened.
“When it just started, it was very bad,” she said Wednesday.
The man first walked up to the family-run canopy and asked about prices, she said, before returning a few minutes later. She said the man stopped near the corner in a car driven by a woman.
He got out and tried to stuff a large gift into the car, she said, but struggled to push it behind the car’s seat. That’s when Beltran’s sister tried to take the gift back, she said.
“This guy gets mad and starts punching her,” Beltran said. “My sister turns around and starts punching him back. He ended up punching me in the face.”
The man went on to strike Beltran’s 79-year-old father as well, she said, adding something happened during the assault to cause her father’s hand to bleed.
Video shows him grabbing items and, when some of the women try to stop him, spinning around and swinging at them before taunting them.
Beltran said her father, who she called “old school,” had taken the incident particularly hard, and wanted to put his head down and get back to work. She said she was determined to get the word out on the suspect.
“We are scared. We are terrified. I want justice for my dad,” she said. “If we don’t stop this, he’s going to do it to somebody else, who might really get hurt.”
Fresno officer Felipe Uribe said Wednesday the family reported the incident and that there was an award for information on the suspect.
Advocates for street vendors say the crimes they face go underreported. The violence became most public in 2020 after the killings of 49-year old Francisco Velasquez and 53-year-old Jose Rivera.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,500 for information on the most recent incident. Callers can remain anonymous at 559-498-STOP.
A detective is also available at 559-621-2081.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 8:53 AM.
