Judge sentences Fresno hit-and-run driver to 3 years in prison

Steve Garcia was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison for the 2024 death of bicyclist Paul Sanchez in central Fresno, a case that ended with a fatal crash, a flight from the scene and a courtroom packed with grief. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Houry Sanderson imposed the term after Garcia pleaded no contest last month to felony hit-and-run.

Police said the crash happened on February 10, 2024, at Clinton Avenue and Van Ness Boulevard in central Fresno, around 10 p.m. Investigators identified Garcia, then 59, as the driver and Sanchez, 33, as the bicyclist who was struck. A witness told police a dark-colored car hit a bicyclist in his 30s and drove away without stopping.

Garcia later turned himself in and was arrested on February 28, 2024. Prosecutors said the case was about more than the collision itself, pointing to the decision to leave Sanchez behind without calling police or helping at the scene. Deputy District Attorney Matthew Khim criticized both the crash and the effort to cover it up, while Sanchez’s mother, Liza Barnett, told the court she could not understand why anyone would fail to stop.

Defense attorney David Balakian told the court the case was tragic and expressed sympathy for Sanchez’s family. The hearing was marked by outbursts from the audience, and Sanderson had to intervene as relatives and supporters reacted to the sentence.

The three-year term falls within California’s punishment range for a fatal hit-and-run. Under state law, a driver who leaves the scene of a crash that causes death can face two, three or four years in state prison. Investigators said at least one person suspected Garcia may have been intoxicated, but they did not have enough evidence to prove an impaired-driving case, leaving the sentencing focused on the crash and Garcia’s decision to flee.

The case also lands in a city that has been trying to improve conditions for people on bikes. The City of Fresno’s 2024 Active Transportation Plan updates the 2017 plan and calls for better safety and connectivity for walking and biking, while Public Works has said the city is adding bicycle facilities, including protected cycle tracks. University of California, Berkeley crash-data resources show bicycle-fatality trends in California have shifted sharply in recent years, with 2024 figures still provisional, a reminder that fatal bike crashes continue to draw close scrutiny in Fresno and across the state.