The suspect killed in a late night crash in northwest Fresno has been identified. He is Eric Deshaun Willis, 32, of Fresno.
Shortly after 11:00 pm Wednesday, a Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy saw a Chrysler 300 car speeding on westbound Bullard, near Maroa in Fresno. At 11:04 pm, the deputy activated his lights and siren and attempted to make a traffic stop at Bullard and Palm, but the driver (Eric Willis) sped away from him. A pursuit ensued with Willis driving up to 100 mph on Bullard Ave. At 11:05 pm, Willis struck a minivan at the intersection of Bullard and West, which sent his car crashing into a streetlight pole. The deputy immediately called for medics to respond to the scene. Fresno firefighters arrived to treat the suspect and found him to be deceased. Responding deputies checked on the driver of the van, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, and he was found to have minor injuries to his head and arm.
Deputies searched the suspect’s car and found a handgun.
Fresno Police sent its Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) to the scene to handle the traffic investigation. The total time of the pursuit was approximately 30 seconds.
Anyone who witnessed the pursuit, crash or has information about Eric Willis is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111.
