Man arrested after ramming patrol car with a stolen ATV

A man was arrested Sunday evening after ramming a patrol car with a stolen ATV, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office reported.

Around 6:15 p.m., a sheriff’s sergeant spotted two males, each not wearing a helmet, on their quad vehicle near the area of Academy and Ashlan avenues, said Lt. Ron Hayes. The sergeant asked the men to put helmets on but instead they sped away along a canal at around 50 mph. The quad driver lost control near Del Rey and Shields avenues where the sergeant caught up to the ATV and held the men at gunpoint, Hayes said.

The quad driver rammed the ATV into the sergeant's patrol car and both men ran, Hayes said.

The passenger on the quad was easily caught and taken into custody. The driver ran to a chicken coop roof and a helicopter was called to assist the officers on the ground. The man then jumped into a woodpile and was asked to come out repeatedly, Hayes said. When he refused, a dog was sent to retrieve the suspect.

The man is linked to several other stolen vehicle incidents and an investigator is working on the case, Hayes said. The driver was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, stolen vehicle and property and other additional charges may follow, Hayes said.

There were no injuries to the sergeant. The quad driver received a bite to the leg and minor injuries.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Man arrested after ramming patrol car with a stolen ATV."