Fresno police chase ends in crash at Fruit and McKinley, two hospitalized

A pursuit that ended in a crash at Fruit and McKinley avenues around midnight Friday left two people hospitalized and prompted a neighborhood search for the fleeing driver, Fresno Police said. “The chase ended around midnight at Fruit and McKinley avenues when the vehicles crashed,” Fresno Police reported, and investigators said two people inside the struck vehicle were taken to the hospital in stable condition.

California Highway Patrol records provided to investigators indicate the incident involved a Honda that reached speeds of about 122 mph on Highway 168 before officers terminated a roadway pursuit for public-safety reasons. CHP officials said a Fresno Police helicopter then continued tracking the vehicle before it collided with another car at Fruit and McKinley; CHP told investigators that “the driver of a Honda was arrested after traveling at speeds over 120 mph and crashing into another car.”

Fresno Police statements and scene accounts conflict on the immediate status of the driver after the crash. Fresno Police said officers were searching for a suspect who fled into a nearby neighborhood and that the man was charged with felony evading and felony hit-and-run, along with several vehicle code infractions. CHP’s account, by contrast, indicates the driver was arrested and cited for speeding, DUI, and fleeing the police. Authorities have not yet reconciled those differing accounts in a single public statement.

Investigators detained at least two passengers from the fleeing vehicle at or near the scene, Fresno Police said, while CHP reported that a passenger fled the scene. The two hospitalized people were occupants of the vehicle that was struck; local hospital communications provided to investigators identified Community Regional Medical Center as the receiving facility and described the patients as expected to be okay.

Social posts circulating after the crash claimed officers recovered multiple firearms and reported uncertain conditions for four occupants, but that claim remains unverified by either Fresno Police or CHP. Authorities asked that anyone with information about the pursuit or the person who fled contact the Fresno Police Department. “Anyone with information is asked to call police at 559-621-7000,” the department said.

Authorities described the matter as an ongoing investigation. Journalists and residents seeking confirmation of arrest records, booked charges, or recovered evidence were directed to Fresno Police and CHP public information channels while Fresno Police continue to canvass the neighborhood around Fruit and McKinley for witnesses and video.