Fresno biker who hanged himself in jail took part in brutal 2014 beating

The man who killed himself by hanging Tuesday in Fresno County jail was a member of a Fresno motorcycle gang involved in the severe beating of two men outside a Fresno bar in 2014. The beating was captured on video.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office reported that Daniel Telles, 27, attacked a sheriff’s correctional officer inside the jail Saturday.

Then sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti reported Telles was found dead inside his cell Tuesday afternoon. Correctional officers had checked on him about a half-hour before and determined he was well, Botti said.

Police arrested Telles and three other members of the Malos Hechos gang in October 2014 after a graphic video of the March 7, 2014, beating circulated on Facebook. The beating happened outside the now-closed Crossroads nightclub at Cedar and Shields avenues in central Fresno.

Malos Hechos roughly translates as “bad deeds.” A gang member posted the video.

In it, one of the suspects was seen violently kicking a man curled up on the asphalt. One victim had a large gash on his head. Both men recovered, police said.

In addition to Telles, the other gang members were identified as Apolinio Martinez, 40, Christopher Martinez Jr., 21, and Christopher Martinez, 42.

In a news conference after the attack, police Chief Jerry Dyer said it was classified as assault with a deadly weapon because it could have caused severe injuries or death.

The Crossroads closed not long after the arrests. Dyer said it had become a hangout for gang members and that the beating was instigated by an argument that started inside. In September 2014, Fresno resident Janae Tatum was shot in the head and killed by a gang member who also shot Tatum’s husband, Herman Tatum.

In the Saturday attack on the correctional officer, Telles used a jail-made weapon featuring a handle and sharp screw to stab the officer behind the ear. The officer took Telles to the ground and restrained him until assisting officers responded.

Telles was facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer in connection with the Saturday attack.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Fresno biker who hanged himself in jail took part in brutal 2014 beating."