The 1951 classic Chevy truck was parked at the Greenway Autobody shop in Central Fresno for about a decade. "It had brand new carpets, brand new seats, it had a vortex corvette engine in it. It had the wood grain in the bed of the truck. A lot of detail when into that truck," said Denise Robinson, the manager of Greenway Autobody.
But early Friday morning, the truck was parked on its side on Shaw and Highway 99 after flipping over several times. The person who crashed the vehicle was driving at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour trying to escape police. "They knocked out a window so they could pull him out because they saw the vehicle was catching on fire and once they pulled him out, he resisted them, trying to escape further and they were able to take him into custody after that," said Sgt. Glen Schefer with the Fresno Police Department.
The 21-year-old suspect -- Anthony Hevron -- was taken away in an ambulance and faces multiple charges including auto theft.
"He broke the glass window with a piece of cement," said Robinson. "The suspect took off with the $50,000 car, leaving behind his bicycle and backpack. But on his way out, he hit three other cars, including a Mercedes and Cadillac. Damage to those cars is estimated at around $15,000.
The truck was towed back to the auto shop in one piece but there is some major damage all over. It's unknown how much the repairs will cost -- that's if the parts can be found at all.
The owner bought the vehicle in 1972 for just $400. He was too distraught to talk more about the crash. And now he's not sure if he's willing to restore the classic one more time.
