Five suspects escape after botching home invasion
FRESNO — Sheriff’s investigators are searching for five armed men following a home invasion in west Fresno early Wednesday morning.
The crime occurred around 6:30 a.m. on the 1200 Block of North Hayes Avenue, which is between West Olive and Belmont Avenue on the city’s west side.
A Fresno County Sheriff’s Department news release said one of the suspects pointed a shotgun at a resident who may have interrupted a burglary. The masked gunman fled on foot and ran south on Hayes Avenue toward Belmont.
Four other men, who were also armed with handguns and sported masks, went the opposite direction, driving north on Hayes in a white Ford Ranger.
Deputies did take a man in custody, but determined he was not involved in the crime. Sheriff’s units then searched the surrounding areas but were unable to find the man who fled on foot from the home.
A helicopter was called in during the early morning hours to search for the five suspects.
This is the second home invasion case around the Fresno-Clovis area in the last two days. On Tuesday around 5 p.m., an 80-year-old man was beaten and robbed in Clovis by three young males on the 1300 block of First Street in Clovis. The man’s injuries did not appear to be life threatening, according to Clovis police.
