Fresno County Man Faces Murder Charge in Alleged Hit-and-Run
Above: Rolando Sanchez | Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
A Fresno County man has been arrested and charged with murder after an alleged hit-and-run incident resulted in the death of 48-year-old Jaime Loza of Del Rey.
According to a press release issued yesterday by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Thursday, March 16th at around 7:00 PM. Sheriff’s dispatchers received a report of a man in the road suffering from injuries after a vehicle had reportedly struck him near Carmel and Morro Avenues in Del Rey.
Deputies and EMS personnel arrived at the scene and worked to transport Loza to the hospital, while homicide detectives were called in to take over the investigation. Loza later passed away on March 21st due to the severity of his injuries.
Despite the initial inability of deputies to locate the driver and vehicle responsible for the crash, they developed information indicating that the incident was an intentional act. The following day, detectives located a black Chevy Tahoe believed to be involved in the hit-and-run and conducted a vehicle stop near South Bethel and East Jefferson Avenues.
After examining the Chevy Tahoe, detectives contacted the driver, 54-year-old Rolando Sanchez of Del Rey, who was subsequently arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail on suspicion of murder.
The case is being investigated as a homicide, with authorities treating the incident as a deliberate act, police said. While no motive has yet been established, the arrest of Sanchez represents a significant breakthrough in the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing. As such, additional details are being kept confidential.
Police are encouraging anyone with information relevant to the investigation to come forward. Those with information are urged to contact Detective Jose Diaz at (559) 600-8204, or CrimeStoppers at (559) 498-7867 or via valleycrimestoppers.org.
Police say that those leaving tips will remain anonymous, and may be eligible for a cash reward.
