CHP officer could avoid criminal conviction for deadly Fresno County collision

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A new view gives a clearer picture of a collision that killed a Fresno County man and landed a CHP officer in criminal court.

Action News first told you about the crash in October 2020, and now we've learned the officer could avoid a conviction on his record.

RELATED: CHP officer who ran stop light charged with manslaughter in death of Fresno man

From above, the view of Fred Ricardo's upside-down pickup truck gave some obvious clues about the collision that killed the 69-year-old.

"Dude, he must've hit him hard," said a voice from the Fresno County sheriff's helicopter.

20 yards away, the CHP squad car that hit Ricardo bounced to a stop in a field at Brawley and Kearney in Fresno County.

Its driver, Officer Bradley Bowman, did his best to save Ricardo, but the deadly damage was already done.

Action News has also acquired video from Bowman's car.

You can see him slowing for some stop signs before the crash.

The video stops shortly before the collision and picks up again afterwards.

A CHP report shows Bowman had turned on his emergency lights but not his siren as he tried to track down a stolen vehicle with the true owner giving chase.

But his sergeant said Bowman was not directed to join the investigation, and an attorney for the Ricardo family says four law enforcement teams had already stopped the stolen car before the crash.

"He killed somebody because he wanted to respond to a call that was already handled," said Mark Coleman.

Bowman's defense attorney says Ricardo could've survived had he been wearing a seat belt.

But Ricardo's family says he definitely would've survived if the officer hadn't blown through the stop sign and hit him at almost 65 miles per hour.

Bowman is charged with misdemeanor manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty.

He's now asking a judge to give him a diversion program that would keep him from having a conviction on his record.

"The Ricardo family is very disturbed because they feel as though since he's a Highway Patrol officer, he's getting special preference," Coleman said.

The family has also filed a lawsuit against Bowman and the California Highway Patrol.

CHP administrators didn't want to comment on pending litigation, but the attorney general's office submitted some possible defenses to a civil court judge.

Bowman's defense attorney says the officer has qualified immunity since he was doing legitimate law enforcement work at the time.

The Ricardos' attorney says they're minimizing what happened.

"This collision, despite the claims of the defense attorney, was a violent collision and it directly resulted in the death," Coleman said.

A judge could grant diversion for Bowman during a court hearing next week.

The civil case is on hold until the criminal case resolves.