Truck runs red light, hits Fresno police vehicle in north Fresno

A truck ran a red light at Bullard Avenue and First Street in north Fresno and slammed into a Fresno police vehicle Monday night, turning a routine patrol drive into a collision at one of the city’s busiest intersections. The crash happened about 7:45 p.m., and both the officer and the other driver were not injured.

Fresno Police Lt. Zeb Price said the patrol vehicle was traveling southbound on First Street and entered the intersection on a green light when the truck struck it. One local report described the damaged unit as a California Highway Patrol vehicle and said it suffered major damage, while the truck had minor damage, leaving a reporting discrepancy about which agency’s vehicle was hit.

Even without injuries, the crash lands in a corridor where drivers and pedestrians already move through steady traffic and where signal compliance matters. Bullard and First also has a fatal collision on its record: a pedestrian was killed there on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, after being struck by a vehicle. That earlier death gives the corner added weight for north Fresno residents who watch the intersection as a place where a missed signal can turn serious fast.

The red-light crash is the kind of incident that can sharpen attention on both enforcement and intersection design, especially in a city where congestion and impatient driving are part of daily complaints. At Bullard and First, the newest collision adds another data point to a growing safety concern: when a driver ignores the signal, the result can be a damaged patrol unit, a shaken driver and renewed pressure on one of Fresno’s most familiar crossings.