Wanted felon captured after car crash

A car chase in southwest Fresno ended in a collision near a canal Wednesday afternoon, leading to the arrest of two suspects.

Carlos Campos, 45, had two outstanding felony warrants when police spotted his black Nissan Pathfinder parked near a home on Orange and American avenues around 3:45 p.m Wednesday, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Botti said.

When detectives pulled up to the vehicle, Campos and a passenger, Kevin Rodriguez, 25, drove off. Campos and Rodriguez nearly escaped when detectives lost track of the SUV, Botti said.

When detectives neared the intersection of American and East Avenues, they found the SUV had crashed into a nearby cement wall bordering the canal. Campos was discovered near the canal, and Rodriguez ran off but was later found hiding in a nearby vineyard. Both had facial cuts from the collision and were taken to Community Regional Medical Center.

When deputies searched the vehicle, they found a large quantity of metal parts, including brass valves and ag sprinkler parts suspected to be stolen. Botti say one of the suspects used an airsoft pistol to commit several robberies.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Wanted felon captured after car crash."