Clovis police shoot 2 suspects after car chase

Two men shot by Clovis police officers after a car chase Thursday morning were arrested on charges including suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

The men, identified as Martin Espinoza, 18, and Lupe Nieto, 32, both of Fresno, will survive their injuries, officials said.

The officers weren’t hurt, Clovis Police Chief Janet Davis said.

The men were shot after a car chase that started in Clovis and ended in east-central Fresno after Clovis police responded to a call about an armed man at an apartment complex near Barstow and Minnewawa avenues. The chase ended near Willow and Thomas avenues in a county island of Fresno.

Nieto was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after being treated for his injuries at Community Regional Medical Center. Espinoza was listed in fair condition Thursday afternoon, hospital officials said.

Both are being booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. Nieto also will be booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, terrorist threats and evading arrest. It’s unclear whether Nieto or Espinoza shot at officers.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting because it occurred in a county island. Sheriff’s spokesman Chris Curtice gave this account of what happened:

Clovis officers were called about 7:30 a.m. to check a report about an armed man at an apartment complex near Barstow and Minnewawa avenues. When officers arrived, they saw the suspect’s vehicle leaving the area. They tried unsuccessfully to pull it over, and the chase began.

The chase wound through Clovis and into southeast Fresno. The pursued car pulled over just after 8 a.m. at North Willow and East Thomas avenues, and a confrontation between the occupants and officers followed.

A resident who identified himself as Chris said he was painting a bathroom when he heard three or four rapid gunshots. He ran outside and saw that officers were standing over a man on the ground.

“He looked like he was in pain,” he said of the apparent shooting victim. “I’m just happy that nobody [else] got hurt.”

Curtice did not provide details about the confrontation, the number of shots fired or the injuries to the two suspects. The officers involved have not been identified.

“My officers are OK and the public is OK, and I am very grateful that nobody in the public was hurt,” Davis said.

The most recent officer-involved shooting with Clovis police officers occurred Aug. 29, 2006, during a high-speed chase.Two men who attempted to rob a bank at Shaw and Minnewawa avenues took police on a chase through western Clovis and were firing at police pursuing them.

During that chase, Clovis police officer Drake Hodge was struck by a bullet in his left index finger. The suspects were arrested later that day and were sentenced to prison.

By Jim Guy and Marc Benjamin / The Fresno Bee