CLOVIS - Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies have booked 39 year old Travis Newton of Fresno and 35 year old Daniel Garcia of Fresno into the Fresno County Jail. Newton faces several felony charges, including: Auto theft, possession of stolen property, evading a peace officer, possession of a firearm by a felon, negligent discharge of a gun and committing a crime while out on bail. His bail is set at $201,000. Garcia faces felony charges of: Auto theft, possession of stolen property, evading a peace officer and probation violation. His bail is set at $64,500. However, he is not eligible for bail on the probation violation hold.
Around 11:00 pm on December 16th, someone reported suspicious behavior in the parking lot of the Loma Vista Market at Shaw and Academy Avenues. They saw some men taking items out of a Ford F450 work truck and putting them into a trailer. As deputies arrived, the men fled in the Ford work truck and another pickup, leaving the trailer behind. As they left the lot, a deputy noticed one of the suspects firing several rounds from a gun straight into the air. No one was struck by the bullets.
Deputies tried to pull over both vehicles, but the suspects refused and led them on pursuits. The suspects split off in different directions, one drove west on Shaw and the other went south on Academy. One suspect, later identified as Travis Newton, drove onto a dirt road near Bethel and Santa Ana. He then jumped out and ran. A deputy deployed his K-9 (Mikey) on Newton, who began to fight with the dog. The deputy joined in and was able to take the man into custody. Newton went to the hospital and was treated for his injuries before being booked into jail.
The California Highway Patrol helicopter, H40, took over the other pursuit. They tracked the suspect, later identified as Daniel Garcia, to the area of Hwy. 41 and Floradora. The crew watched him jump out of the vehicle and hide. They guided CHP officers and deputies on the ground to his hiding spot near Angus and Hedges, where they were able to arrest Garcia without any problems.
Both pickup trucks involved in the pursuits and the trailer parked at the marker were recovered. A records check showed all of them were reported stolen. A deputy also recovered two handguns in the area of where the pursuits began after one of the suspects was seen throwing objects out the window of the truck.
If you have additional information about the suspects in this case, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867) or Click Here You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
