Fresno Criminal Lawyer Blog

Fresno police fired at a person they are calling a "prolific" car thief after he allegedly led police on a chase that ended in a crash, KSEE reports.

As Fresno criminal defense lawyers reported in July, Fresno ranked first in the nation in auto thefts. It has been a problem that city officials that law enforcement have been working on for a while, but with few victories.

Perhaps it was the frustration of knowing their city is known for its high number of vehicle thefts that led them to get into a high-speed chase with a man and then fire rounds at him for allegedly committing a non-violent crime. While auto theft in Fresno has been on the rise and is a serious crime, officials must ask if police should be using deadly force for this type of crime.

KSEE reports that the man allegedly led police on a chase and "prompted" officers to fire on him. Police believe he is responsible for committing several vehicle thefts. The man was reportedly driving a stolen vehicle when officers spotted it.

They say the man resisted arrest and fled. Police say he tried to run over officers, which is why they started firing on him. He was hit twice and continued driving. There was a woman inside the vehicle, as well.

Police say he lost control of the car and hit a house. Both the man and the woman were arrested by police.

Crime Voice has a few additional details.

The online publication reports that members of the Fresno Police Department's career criminal auto theft team were trailing the 32-year-old. He pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store at Tulare and Peach streets and the woman got out of the vehicle to go inside the store.

That's when officers moved in to make an arrest, but he allegedly tried to run over officers, prompting the 11 a.m. shooting in public by police. The man was struck twice in the chest.

After heading west on Tulare, the man eventually lost control near Willow Avenue. He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive. A female passenger was injured in the crash.

The man now faces charges of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Police said they may be adding charges and say he's responsible for many stolen vehicles in Fresno.

This seems peculiar. Police say he was in a stolen vehicle and that's why they were following him. That's also why they were attempting to arrest him, yet they haven't filed any charges related to those allegations.

When the news media write their initial stories, they're typically one-sided. They receive word from the police from a law enforcement perspective, yet the suspect is likely in jail or has been advised not to say anything publicly. This can create false information presented to the public that can only be straightened out at trial.

Things are not always what they appear at first and the public -- potential jurors -- must keep an open mind if they are called to make decisions about high-profile crimes.

Continue reading ""Prolific" Fresno Auto Theft Suspect Fired On, Arrested By Police" »

Fresno is No. 1! But it's not for anything for which city officials or residents would be proud. CBS News reports that the city is first nationwide in auto thefts.

Fresno auto theft is a serious charge, punishable by prison time in California. Therefore, hiring Fresno Criminal Defense Lawyers is the first step any defendant should take to protect his or her rights.

Fresno leads Modesto, Bakersfield and Delano as the top three cities in the country for car thefts. Fresno police recently created the Career Criminal Auto Theft team in an effort to cut down on the number of vehicles being stolen.

The city has dedicated $150,000 to rent space in Madera County to keep car theft suspects locked up, the report states.

Oddly enough, Bloomberg reports that at the same time that Fresno is dealing with an auto theft crisis, vehicle thefts nationwide dropped to the lowest they've been since 1967, falling for the seventh straight year. The report attributes the decrease to more vehicles being equipped with security devices and new law enforcement tactics.

According to FBI data compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, New York, Dallas, Detroit, Miami and Los Angeles all reported fewer vehicle thefts, along with more than 250 other urban areas.

Some police departments have been using "bait programs," where they leave vehicles unlocked with the keys inside in order to arrest suspects. Bloomberg reports that Fresno had 7,559 thefts in 2010.

Auto theft is a serious crime and while overcrowding has led to people being released from jail early, it doesn't mean the crime can go unpunished. According to California Penal Code 487, grand theft is committed when the value of something stolen is more than $950 and includes cars.

The charge, if convicted can be punishable by up to four years in a California state prison. So, the charges shouldn't be taken lightly. And as is the case with many auto theft suspects, they face multiple charges.

Police sometimes try to link one defendant or a group of defendants to a neighborhood of vehicle thefts, based on similar patterns. But without strong eyewitness accounts or being caught red-handed, sometimes these charges can be proven to be unfounded and the defendant is found not guilty.

But this requires an experienced Fresno defense attorney, one who has spent years fighting for defendants, protecting the rights of those accused of crime. With auto theft so prevalent in our society, police and politicians will be looking for ways to crack down and to try to prove to the public they is doing all they can to fight the crime.

This may lead to unwarranted criminal charges. So, if you or a loved one faces a grand theft auto charge in Fresno or the surrounding areas, call today. Don't make a statement to law enforcement before consulting with Fresno Criminal Defense Lawyers first.

Continue reading "Fresno First Nationwide in Auto Thefts" »

An ABC News report says that 65 people were recently released from the Fresno County Jail because of overcrowding, including a couple of men accused of auto thefts.

What's important to note in situations like this is that people who are being held at the county jail, like any other pre-trial defendant, are presumed innocent until trial. While police make arrests based on their probable cause, a trial holds the standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. If you or someone you know is arrested in Fresno, have them contact an experienced Fresno criminal defense attorney.

The ABC News story focuses on several men arrested recently on charges that they were breaking into and stealing cars. The story says one of the men confessed to stealing more than 1,000 cars in a matter of months. Police report more than 2,200 auto thefts this year.

But what the story doesn't note is that it's likely that these defendants were granted some type of bail, meaning they could have theoretically paid to get out of jail anyway. The story doesn't say that any accused murderers were released from jail because of overcrowding, likely only non-violence defendants were let go.

As previously discussed on Fresno Criminal Lawyer Blog, Fresno police believe car thefts are on the rise because of early jail releases. But we dispute that notion.

Theft crimes in Fresno can be particularly difficult to prove after the fact. However, if convicted, the penalties can vary from months in jail to years in prison. They could include fines, fees, restitution or other monetary obligations, too. These are the types of charges that can stay on a person's criminal record and prevent them from getting jobs and even obtaining loans or credit in the future.

That's why it's crucial not to trust any attorney to stand by your side if you're charged with theft, auto theft, burglary, robbery or any other type of crime of stealing. The state will try to come down hard on you, so trust someone who will be there to fight back.

Continue reading " Fresno Theft Suspects Released From Jail Because of Overcrowding" »

Two men are facing burglary charges in Fresno after authorities accuse them of committing 15 burglaries in Visalia over the last five months, according to a report in the Vasalia Times-Delta.

This is a classic example of a case that should be handled by an experienced and aggressive Visalia criminal defense attorney. From the probable cause for the search warrant to the allegations alleged in the criminal charges, an experienced attorney may well succeed in having the charges reduced or dismissed.

The two 27-year-old men were reportedly "casing" a Visalia neighborhood when they aborted an alleged burglary attempt because of the "inadvertent positioning of a vehicle by an unwitting Visalia resident," according to the assertions in the police report.

Apparently, that was enough to get a judge somewhere to sign a search warrant. At the North Marks Street home of one of the defendants, police found "numerous items" believed stolen from various homes in Visalia.

The men face assorted charges, including possession of burglary tools and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

In addition to challenging the probable cause used to obtain the search warrant, a defense attorney should challenge the assertion that the men possessed burglary tools. A screwdriver can be burglary tools if a cop says so. At least until his assertion gets to court. And the mere fact that items that may or may not have been stolen were found in the home of one of the defendants does not mean he participated in one burglary, let alone 15.

In a separate case, a 28-old-man is facing charges of car theft for allegedly stealing a vehicle in Fresno and using it to drive to Santa Barbara to pick his girlfriend up from jail, KSBY News reported.

Police say the gold 2000 Honda Civic was found parked in front of Ralph's Supermarket. The man and his girlfriend were arrested and police say he had an altered key that fit the Honda. He was arrested and charged with grand theft auto. He was also arrested on a $290,000 warrant for auto theft in Fresno.

Continue reading "Charges of Car Theft and Burglary in Fresno present Unique Issues for Defense" »