Passenger bit two officers after crash that killed driver in Fresno County, CHP says
A Wednesday morning car crash in Reedley killed a man and injured a passenger, who bit two officers responding to the incident, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A Honda Accord was going west on Vino Avenue about 6:30 a.m. when the driver allowed the sedan to drift from the roadway near Jim Savage Road, CHP said.
The Honda veered onto the shoulder, struck a metal irrigation pipe and continued into a vineyard, rolling multiple times, CHP said.
Both the driver and passenger were ejected from the car. Neither were wearing seatbelts, CHP said.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and the passenger suffered minor injuries, according to officers.
The man killed was identified Wednesday afternoon by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Isael Acevedo, 18, of Reedley (pronounced “Iss-eye-L”).
As the passenger, also 18, was transported to an area hospital, he became combative inside the ambulance, CHP said. First responders suspect he was suffering a mental health crisis.
Officers got involved with the scuffle and the passenger bit two of them, CHP said.
He will be arrested on the suspicion of assault on the officers once cleared from the hospital, the CHP said. Both officers were treated for their injuries and were expected to make a full recovery, CHP said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, according to CHP. A pending Fresno County Coroner’s Office report will determine if alcohol was a factor.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 2:18 PM.
