HEAT team dedicated to finding stolen vehicles in Fresno County

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The recovery of a stolen vehicle in Fresno turned violent earlier this week when a suspect rammed law enforcement vehicles.

Officers with the HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) taskforce opened fire on the suspect, who remains in critical condition.

Vehicle thefts remain a consistent issue in Fresno and the crimes can be devastating for the victims.

As recently as 2016 the greater Fresno area was one of the top 10 in the country for stolen vehicles.

Even though Fresno has since dropped on that list, thousands of victims still find their lives turned upside down by auto theft in the city.

Just over a year, Carlos Felix, a landscaper with Charlie's Tree Service, had his work truck and trailer stolen twice from right in front of his home.

"We heard the truck turn on and speed off. We jumped up, came outside, and it was gone," recalled Felix.

The first theft happened in March 2023.

His landscaping truck and trailer were found nearby within a few hours by Felix's brother, but the thieves had stolen his ladders and damaged his trailer.

When the same truck and trailer were stolen this past April, it took a week for California Highway Patrol to recover both.

Felix was out of work for several weeks because of the theft and damage.

"They pried my toolbox open, they broke the ignition, steering column," said Felix. "For the most part most of my customers they were patient with me. I did lose one for sure that didn't want to wait."

Felix's truck was just one of more than 4,700 reported stolen in Fresno County in 2023.

Of those vehicles, more than 4,100 were recovered.

Six hundred of those were recovered by the HEAT taskforce, a partnership between the California Highway Patrol and Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

"Their sole purpose is to go out and investigate auto thefts, recover cars, arrest people who do it," said Tony Botti, Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Botti said often times the recoveries lead to the discovery of other crimes such as fraud and burglaries.

"This is a relatively small team of detectives anywhere from say five to maybe up to ten if we're lucky," said Botti.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, in 2022, the greater Fresno area was 22nd in the nation for auto thefts.

That's down from 13 in 2021 and an even more significant drop from when Fresno topped the nation for auto theft in the 90s.

That's when HEAT was formed to combat the escalating problem.

Because these thefts are often tied to other crimes. Botti said the recoveries can become very dangerous, like on Tuesday.

Botti said the suspect from that incident has a long criminal history including property crimes and violent crimes.

For news updates, follow Kate Nemarich on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.