Kingsburg man arrested for theft and assault
KINGSBURG – A man was arrested after he stole a fuel pump and then attempted to run over a man with his truck.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest of Jerry Leslie Garcia, 42, of Kingsburg, on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and theft.
Jerry Leslie Garcia
On March 31 around 1:30 p.m., a red truck and a gray sedan pulled up to Darling Tire & Oil, a business located at 11010 E. Mountain Ave. A 26-year-old employee told authorities that he was working in the shop area when he heard the two vehicles outside. He then reported hearing what sounded like a piece of metal being thrown into the back of the truck.
The employee went outside where he saw the truck and sedan leaving the business. He said that he saw a stolen fuel pump in the bed of the truck. The employee decided to get in his own vehicle and chase the truck. He caught up to the truck near Mountain View and Bethel avenues, police said.
Darling Tire & Oil, where the theft took place
“The truck had pulled over to the side of the road,” said Deputy Chris Curtice, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department. The employee said that he got out of his own vehicle so that he could write down the license plate of the truck. While he was trying to write down the plate numbers, the truck, driven by Garcia, suddenly backed up and hit the employee. The victim was knocked to the ground, but managed to get up and attempted to pull Garcia out of the truck. At this point, Garcia accelerated his truck in reverse and hit the employee’s vehicle. The employee decided to give up the fight, and the truck and sedan left the scene.
Sheriff deputies were able to track Garcia and the truck to a residence in the 15000 block of South Rose Avenue in Selma, where they arrested him. “The residence was the girlfriend’s residence,” Curtice said. Garcia’s girlfriend had been driving the sedan. Deputies located her in the area of Mountain View Avenue and Smith Street. She cooperated with authorities and was not arrested.
The employee who was hit by Garcia’s truck received minor injuries.
Read More:
KFSN-TV: Suspected Kingsburg thief runs over Fresno County man
Kingsburg Recorder: Local man arrested on assault, theft charges
