Published
4 weeks agoon
A mother and son were arrested by Fresno police for a traffic collision near Roosevelt High School, that sent 11 youth to area hospitals on Wednesday.
The 16-year old driver allegedly plowed into a FAX bus stop at the southwest corner of Cedar and Tulare avenues, around 3:30 p.m. Deputy Police Chief Mark Salazar said there were no life-threatening injuries, with the worst being a fractured leg.
The driver and his 14-year old sister, a passenger, fled on foot, police said. They were picked up by their mother, 36-year old Yesenia Renteria.
Undercover officers found the vehicle nearby at Ventura and Orange avenues, where Renteria and her son were arrested. The daughter was released to the father.
Renteria faces a felony charge of aiding and abetting (PC 32). She was booked into Fresno County jail, and released on $5,000 bail overnight.
The 16-year old student — described by Salazar as a student at Roosevelt — was arrested for a felony hit and run, driving under the influence, and driving without a license. Salazar said the driver is suspected of being under the influence of marijuana. His name was not released.
It is not clear where the teen obtained the marijuana. Salazar says the teen does not have a police record.
“Today was a sad day for our city and Roosevelt High region family!” Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez — who lives nearby — wrote on Facebook.
“I rushed over five minutes after it happened and helped calm some of the Spanish-speaking parents that had arrived to ensure their children were OK. I’m extremely proud of our fire Fresno Police Department, Fresno Fire department, American Ambulance for helping treat our children. A special thank you to our Roosevelt teachers that rushed over and helped our students that were injured! They went above and beyond their duty, the FUSD team did a great job from our emergency management folks to administrators to staff members. Let’s all pray for the families that were affected today,” Chavez wrote.
“My heart and thoughts go out to the students, families and Roosevelt community. It’s a tragedy and I hope for a speedy recovery of all those injured as we await further details,” Fresno Unified Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, who represents the area, said.
Said Trustee Susan Wittrup:
“This was a frightening and painful experience for the students who were injured, their families and the entire school community. Although details are still coming in for this dangerous incident, I will say we must do a better job protecting students as they go to and from school. Since becoming a school board member, I’ve seen an alarming pattern of our children being hurt and even killed on their way to and from school in Fresno, almost weekly. I urge the city and county to collaborate with FUSD to create safe pathways to and from school. Drivers, please slow down and pay attention, especially in school zones. Our most essential obligation is to protect our children.
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email
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