Fresno police officer dragged as car hits home, gas line

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two Fresno police officers are recovering from their injuries after stopping a suspicious vehicle.

One of the officers was dragged after he tried to stop the suspect from leaving the scene. It happened around 8:00 Thursday morning, off Fremont and Chestnut in Northeast Fresno. Police identified the suspect as John Behnken.

Thursday morning, a quiet Northeast Fresno neighborhood was full of commotion after two police officers were injured when an SUV slammed into a garage. The crash ruptured a gas main and some residents were evacuated until fire crews stopped the leak.

Marissa Webber said, "To wake up and see this I think everyone's reaction is kinda shocked and it's kinda crazy."

According to Fresno police, an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle that had an out of state warrant.

Police say a man, woman and 7-year-old child were sleeping inside the vehicle. The woman and child got out of the vehicle and the officer tried to get the suspect out of the vehicle the situation intensified.

"The suspect started the vehicle took off while one of the officers was holding onto the steering wheel again fighting with the suspect telling him to stop multiple, multiple times," said Lt. Don Gross. "He drug the officer approximately 60 feet. The vehicle then crashed into the home."

Two other officers then stepped in and tased the suspect. He was then taken into custody. An additional officer sustained minor scratches from the incident.

Lt. Don gross said, "So very very lucky for us this morning thank goodness the officers used a lot of restraint and did everything on the scene safe."

In addition to the charges the suspect will face out of state, he will also face assault on a peace officer.

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