Fresno police seek suspects in linked WSS robbery, CVS theft

Fresno police are asking residents to identify three suspects after a 3:34 p.m. robbery at WSS in southeast Fresno turned into a theft at a nearby CVS, with both businesses linked by the same black 2013 Ford Explorer.

Investigators said the robbery happened Wednesday, May 6, at the WSS shoe and apparel store near East Kings Canyon Road and South Chestnut Avenue. After that incident, police said the same suspects were involved in a theft at CVS near East Kings Canyon Road and South Peach Avenue, keeping the action on the same retail strip and underscoring how quickly a theft run can move through this corridor.

The geography is part of why the case is drawing attention. East Kings Canyon Road in this stretch is one of south-central Fresno’s busiest retail corridors, a densely populated and highly diverse trade area where shoppers, employees and merchants share the same parking lots, driveways and storefronts. In that kind of setting, a vehicle description can matter as much as a suspect description, and police have made the black 2013 Ford Explorer a central detail in the case.

Detective A. Avelar is the lead contact for tips and can be reached at 559-621-6328 or Alberto.Avelar@fresno.gov. Anonymous tips can also be left with Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP, or 7867. Police also said anyone with information can contact the Fresno Police Department at 559-621-7000.

The public appeal suggests investigators are still trying to connect witness accounts, surveillance footage and any sightings of the Explorer before and after the two incidents. For stores along East Kings Canyon Road, the case is another reminder that theft patterns can spread across a corridor in minutes, not hours, when the same group moves from one business to the next.