Fresno Mother and Son Arrested in Bus Stop Crash That Sends 11 to Hospital

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.

Suspect Yesenia Renteria

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.

Councilman Arrives to Comfort

“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.

Trustees React

“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.