Fresno Police Chief Says Gang Members Shot at Officers

Overview

• Type: evasion, gang, guns, Tremayne Beard

Tremayne Beard

FRESNO – At least two officers were nearly shot over the weekend when a party at the Fresno fairgrounds ended in gunfire, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

Officers were sent to the fairgrounds Saturday night after being told that gang members were attending a party there. The Fresno Police Department’s Violent Crime Impact Team was monitoring the event when a fight broke out about 1 a.m. on Sunday when members of a rival gang arrived.

Officers told the partygoers to disperse, but members of the gangs began shooting near the parking lot at Chance and Lane avenues. Officer Mikal Clement said he had to take cover behind a car.

“As I was standing behind the vehicle, I could hear it getting hit by gunfire,” Clement said.

Officer Sergio Gonzalez also had to dive for cover after he saw muzzle flashes, authorities said.

Police estimate that 30 to 40 shots were fired. Officers later recovered about 20 shell casings from three guns, authorities said.

Suspect Tremayne Beard, 33, was arrested after police say he crashed a Mercedes while trying to flee the fairgrounds. Beard led police on a pursuit going more than 100 mph in a residential area before he crashed into a parked car, got out of his vehicle and attempted to run, authorities said.

Chief Dyer said that he believes the Fresno police officers were targeted during the gunfire.

“We are very fortunate that we didn’t have a police officer killed,” he said.

Dyer said that officers are “very seldom” the intentional target of gunfire in Fresno because gang members understand that there would be a price to pay if it were to happen.

“And I can tell you that right now the price to be paid is there is going to be an increased level of attention given to west Fresno gangs,” he said.