45-year-old Carlos Campos has been booked into the Fresno County Jail for resisting arrest and having two outstanding felony warrants.
Around 3:45 pm Wednesday, members of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Ag Task Force were patrolling the area Orange Ave. and American Ave. when they saw a black Nissan Pathfinder parked near a home. Detectives recognized this vehicle as belonging to a wanted felon named Carlos Campos.
Detectives pulled up to the SUV to talk to the two men inside and that’s when the driver (Campos) accelerated and fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Detectives attempted to catch up to the vehicle heading westbound on American, but it appeared to have gotten away. As detectives neared the intersection of American and East Avenues, they found the suspect’s vehicle had crashed into a nearby cement wall boarding the canal. Campos had gotten out of the vehicle and was found lying in the dry canal. He was taken into custody without incident.
The passenger had run away into a nearby field. The Sheriff’s helicopter, Eagle One, a K-9 unit and multiple patrol units arrived and setup a perimeter to assist in a ground search for the second suspect. Kevin Rodriguez, 25, was eventually located hiding in the nearby vineyard. He too was taken into custody without incident.
Both suspects sustained significant facial lacerations due to the car crash. They were transported to Community Regional Medical Center for medical treatment. Rodriguez was later cited for resisting arrest (misdemeanor) and released from custody.
A search of the suspect’s vehicle revealed a large quantity of metal parts such as brass valves and Ag sprinkler parts, which are suspected to be stolen property. They also had an Airsoft gun, which was possibly used to commit robberies.
The investigation is ongoing while detectives attempt to locate victims of the stolen metal.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867).
