Juveniles in stolen car lead Clovis Police in high-speed chase, tossing fake gun out window

A stolen car that at one point had as many as four juveniles inside was involved in a high-speed chase Tuesday that required the help of a police helicopter.

It started just before 5 p.m. when Clovis Police located an occupied stolen vehicle at a gas station near the intersection of Peach and Shaw avenues in Clovis.

When officers tried to pull over the stolen car, the driver instead sped off into a neighborhood near Gettysburg and Chestnut avenues in Fresno.

Clovis Police said three juvenile passengers jumped out of the stolen vehicle when it made an abrupt, quick stop.

Rather than chase after the fleeing passengers, police decided to keep pursuing the driver of the stolen vehicle.

But when the car returned to Shaw Avenue and was being driven recklessly in heavy traffic, Clovis Police stopped pursuing the car and instead received assistance from a Fresno Police Department helicopter to track the stolen vehicle.

The driver of the stolen car eventually crashed into two other vehicles near Willow and Shaw avenues, where the driver tossed a gun out the window in a nearby parking lot.

Officers caught the driver in a parking lot and recovered the gun.

The gun ended up being an air soft gun. However, it was loaded with real ammunition even though it wasn’t capable of firing, Clovis Police said.

The juvenile driver was set to be booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Center on charges related to the stolen vehicle, the pursuit, and fake firearm.

Officers are working on the identity of the passengers who had been in the stolen car.

Both drivers of the cars involved in a collision with the stolen vehicle complained of pain and were treated by EMS.

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 9:55 PM.