Police chase wanted man who crashed, critically injuring passenger in Fresno, cops say
A man was under arrest after a police pursuit on Tuesday left his female passenger in critical condition at a Fresno hospital, according to officers.
Detectives were watching the man about 8 a.m. Tuesday as he was pumping gas at a station on Gettysburg and First avenues, Lt. Bill Dooley said.
The surveillance was related to a violent crime, but Dooley declined to be more specific about that case.
Detectives in unmarked cars turned on their lights and began to head in for an arrest, Dooley said, before the man jumped into a Ford truck and sped off with the gas nozzle still in the vehicle.
He had a woman with him, and police saw her enter the station to pay for gas, Dooley said.
The truck, which turned out to be stolen, struck multiple unmarked police cars and civilian car as the man drove off, he said.
The pursuit continued into a neighborhood, where the truck struck a Honda sedan and a parked Ford SUV, Dooley said.
The man fled on foot before detectives arrested him.
The woman in the truck was found unconscious in a front yard. “She may have been ejected,” Dooley said. “We don’t know at this point.”
She was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and was in critical condition. The man driving the truck had minor injuries, and the woman driving the Honda did not report any injuries, Dooley said.
He was arrested on suspicion of felony evasion and assault on an officer, Dooley said. Bail information was not immediately available because he went to the hospital.
