Officer ran over homeless man on Fresno sidewalk, advocates say. Police investigating

Advocates said Thursday it has been a month since a Fresno police officer in a cruiser ran over an unhoused man sleeping on a sidewalk, and they are still looking for answers.

The alleged incident happened about 3:30 p.m. Aug. 1 on the Mariposa Mall walkway in front of the downtown Fresno Police Department and was witnessed by multiple bystanders, according to Dez Martinez, a vocal homeless advocate.

The name and health condition of the victim remains unknown.

Fresno Lt. Bill Dooley on Thursday morning told The Fresno Bee he would look into the claim and issued this statement sent in a news release at 2:45 p.m. Thursday:

“We are aware of an incident that occurred on August 1, 2022 involving a police vehicle and a pedestrian. An investigation immediately commenced and is still ongoing. We believe it’s in everyone’s best interest to await the completion of that investigation. Based on the outcome of that investigation appropriate actions will be taken, if necessary.”

Advocates say Fresno police have not been transparent on the matter. Martinez brought it up Thursday during a Fresno City Council meeting.

“The police department should know about this. The news media should know about this,” she said in the chambers. “This should have been addressed. I have never seen a human being ran over by a Fresno police officer and the crime scene was cleaned up within 30 minutes.”

She said she saw skid marks on the sidewalk near the incident. “I just need answers,” she said.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday afternoon, advocates called for transparency and accountability.

“This incident should have been made known to the public immediately and should have been addressed, investigated aggressively and not in silence shrouded behind the walls of the police department,” said attorney Kevin Little.

“This individual, unfortunately, like too many of the unhoused, remains nameless and faceless,” Little said.

Martinez thanked the people who sought her out to tell her about the incident.

“They are the only reason that this incident came to light,” she said.

Little said he and the group of advocates are searching for the victim, but even without connecting with him there are ways to take the matter to court by representing his interest.

Gloria Hernandez, who runs the group No More Stolen Lives, said she wonders if this is a pattern. She referenced a 2020 case in which a Fresno PD detective was arrested for a hitting and killing a pedestrian. The detective was texting and driving.

“Officers who commit this conduct don’t get to investigate themselves,” Little said.

Witness account

Shawna Haymond was working at a downtown building Aug. 1 when her coworker let out a noise. They then heard tires screeching, Haymond told The Bee.

When Haymond looked out her office building, she said she saw the body of a man sticking out between the front and rear tires of a police cruiser. She said the victim’s torso was under the car, and his legs were sticking out and one shoe was kicked off.

She was in disbelief, Haymond said.

“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing, which was a police officer had run over a person,” Haymond said. “So my colleagues and I were pretty alarmed that someone was hurt.”

She said she never saw the officer check for a pulse or touch the man to make sure he was OK. Instead, she saw him tapping on his phone, she assumed to call 911.

Haymond said she didn’t see the victim receive any aid until a fire truck and ambulance arrived on scene.

When another officer arrived at the scene to interview nearby witnesses, the officer who drove the police cruiser joined his colleague, Haymond said. She said she gave her name to police at the scene as a witness.

Then, she said emergency medical technicians hoisted the man onto the gurney by lifting him under his armpits and knees, rather than using a back board that was within reach.

“I just saw so many things that I didn’t understand,” Haymond said.

She said she’s had trouble sleeping at night and remains upset.

“I thought I could just be like ‘Oh, another day downtown. Alright. I’ll just go home and have a story to tell my family and shake it off,” she said. “No way. I did not shake it off.”

Haymond, like Martinez, mostly wants answers, she said. And, she doesn’t want anyone driving through that plaza anymore.

“It makes me wonder if this has been swept under the rug as a PR attempt to make things not stick to the police department’s reputation,” she said. “It’s like this this incident and this person’s health are a sacrifice so that the reputation can stay strong.”