Woman beaten with metal pipe; three Fresno gang members held

Three people were taken into custody early Thursday after a carjacking and assault in central Fresno, police reported.

Sgt. Leslie Bragg said a 21-year-old woman was lured to the area of Lewis and Fresno streets on the pretext of meeting her boyfriend. When she arrived at a store with her children, ages 2 and 3, she recognized four people, realized she had been tricked and drove away. The four followed in another car.

Bragg said the woman’s car broke down near Clay and Recreation avenues, where the four rammed the vehicle, pulled her out of it and beat her with a metal pipe.

A relative of the woman was in the area and got the children out of the car. They were not injured.

The suspects then took the woman’s car.

An officer tracked the woman’s cell phone to Blackstone Avenue and Lewis Street, where three of the suspects were detained — a 21-year-old woman, identified as Jazmen Hernandez; a 16-year-old female, and a 17-year-old male. All three were identified as Bulldog gang members.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Woman beaten with metal pipe; three Fresno gang members held."