Son suspected of DUI, mother of accessory after teen hits 11 at bus stop in Fresno and flees
A mother and her 16-year-old son were arrested following a suspected DUI-related crash that injured 11 students waiting for a bus in Fresno, police said Thursday morning.
The 16-year-old was accused by police of felony DUI and hit-and-run after crashing a truck into a bus stop at Cedar and Tulare avenues outside Roosevelt High School, police said.
He fled the scene on foot and was later found in a car near Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Orange Avenue with his 36-year-old mother and his sister, who were all pulled over by police, according to an update.
The mother, Yesenia Renteria, was arrested and accused of felony accessory after the fact, police said.
She was released about 4 a.m. Thursday after posting $5,000 bail, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Her first court date is Sept. 21.
About 20 students were standing around the bus stop at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when the truck careened into it, injuring 11, police said. School had let out shortly before the crash.
The injuries were considered minor to moderate with the worst being a broken leg, Lt. Bill Dooley said Thursday.
Witnesses reported to police they saw the teen driving recklessly in the area before the crash.
Police said they had not confirmed if the teen driver was a Fresno student.
About 40 students and some parents who lingered at the scene appeared to be saddened by the crash, with some in tears and others getting consoled.
Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez, who represents the southeast area, lives a couple blocks from the campus and also arrived at the scene soon after the crash.
“I actually heard the accident,” he said Wednesday. “It was just one of those really hard-hitting, steel-on-steel (sounds). About two minutes later I started getting a flood of calls and texts from parents worried about their child.”
Chavez said teachers from Roosevelt came over to help the kids who were injured along with first responders.
“Me being a Roosevelt grad, this is very near and dear to me,” Chavez said.
“It hits home. But luckily — I’m sad because this happened — but I’m also happy and thankful, and tonight we’ll say a prayer for all those kids that were injured, that none of those kids were unfortunately killed.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 10:14 AM.
