Three juveniles ranging in age from 15 to 18 were in custody Thursday morning after allegedly committing three armed robberies within minutes in a crime rampage that sent Fresno police scrambling.
The three males were taken into custody near East Ventura Avenue and North Eighth Street about 8:30 a.m. after officers rammed the black sedan they were riding in.
But a rifle and a handgun that officers believe were used to commit the robberies were not immediately located, and officers were backtracking along the crime route in an attempt to locate the weapons, which may have been tossed from the car.
Police spokesman Felipe Uribe said officers activated search dogs, a drone, and special units after receiving multiple reports of robberies involving the black Ford. One of the robberies involved a gas station, followed by holdups of two citizens where cell phones were taken at gunpoint.
The teens allegedly hit the gas station at Highway 99 and Belmont about 7 a.m., said Uribe. As officers were rolling to that scene, another person was held up near Tulare and P street, where a cell phone was taken. A few minutes later, another victim was robbed of a cell phone near Ventura and Eighth.
That's where an officer spotted the Ford, and after a short pursuit, officers used a so-called patrol intervention technique to tap the rear of the car, causing it to spin out and crash. The teens jumped from the vehicle and ran, but were captured in the nearby neighborhood.
Uribe said one of the suspects sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital to be checked out.
Because the three are younger than 18, none were identified.
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