Burglary Suspect Flees Calif. Police, But Falls Through Attic Hiding Spot
What to know
- Two suspects were arrested Monday after a reported garage burglary in Fresno led to a foot chase, a barricade and a dramatic standoff in the attic of a nearby two‑story home.
- Police say the male suspect punched through a garage roof, fled to another residence, entered the attic and tried to evade arrest by breaking holes through the ceiling, throwing debris, and assaulting officers.
- A K‑9 helped take the man into custody, and both suspects now face burglary charges, with the man also expected to face assault charges.
Two people were taken into custody Monday after a reported burglary in progress escalated into a dramatic chase that ended in the attic of a two-story Fresno home.
Fresno Police Lt. Zeb Price said officers responded to the burglary around 5 p.m. to the 300 block of S. Calaveras Street at a detached garage.
“When officers arrived, they surrounded the garage and immediately located and arrested an adult female,” Price said. The woman was detained a couple of houses down the street.”
Police soon learned that a man was still inside the garage. Price said the man barricaded himself inside before punching through the roof and fleeing from the perimeter officers had established.
Price said officers pursued the suspect as he ran toward a nearby two-story residence. There, he climbed up the back of the home, removed a swamp cooler and entered the attic through the opening.
Officers were on the roof before he fell through inside the home as other officers took him into custody.
While in the attic, the man allegedly tried to evade arrest by punching multiple holes in the ceiling and throwing debris at officers and the police K-9.
Price said he also assaulted officers as they attempted to take him into custody.
The only reported injuries so far were sustained by the suspect, mostly self-inflicted, according to Price.
A police K-9 apprehended the man during the arrest. He will be taken to a hospital for evaluation to ensure he is not seriously injured.
Price said the incident damaged the property, causing holes in the garage roof and multiple holes punched through the home’s ceiling.
Given the residence’s size and the suspect’s position in the attic, officers requested assistance from the Fresno Fire Department, which provided ladder trucks to access the roof safely. Deputies from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene.
“We had to get officers onto the roof to prevent him from popping back out and running again,” Price said. “The safest way to do that was to ask our friends and colleagues with the Fresno Fire Department to bring their ladder trucks so we could safely get on the roof.”
Price described the response as a coordinated effort among agencies.
Both suspects face burglary-related charges, with the man also expected to face additional charges related to assaulting officers.
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