A man once considered one of Fresno's top car thieves by Fresno Police has been arrested in connection to a homicide in Central Fresno. Tino Tufono was arrested Wednesday morning after a tip led police to a neighborhood near Clinton and Bond. Tufono is accused of killing 25 year old Jacob Ramirez early Tuesday morning on Clinton near Del Mar.
Police said Tufono was seen walking down the street Wednesday morning. While a sheriff's department helicopter tracked his movements from above, undercover officers confirmed the identity of the suspect and moved in to arrest him. "It was nice to have the resources of the helicopter and the plain clothes units today so we were able to take him into custody without fight or resistance," said Lt. Burke Farrah with the Fresno Police Department.
Though Tufono didn't offer any resistance, the police scene still caught neighbors by surprise. "My husband stepped out and they told him to get back in the house. So we stayed there until we started seeing the cars start pulling off," said Kimberly Quinn.
Since 2010, Tufono has been charged with nine felonies and was once named number three of Fresno's top five auto thieves. But because of overcrowding, officers haven't been able to keep him in jail.
Police say they don't know why Tufono was in area Wednesday, but they spent more than hour canvassing the area searching for evidence that could aid their investigation.
