Man arrested for assaulting sleeping unhoused man in Tower District

Marc Anthony Lopez Image
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Man arrested for assaulting sleeping unhoused man in Tower District
The man suspected of assaulting an unhoused man as he slept outside of a Fresno Tower District business last month has been arrested.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The man suspected of assaulting an unhoused man as he slept outside of a Fresno Tower District business last month has been arrested.

Detectives identified and arrested 25-year-old Roberto Felipe Olivera with the help of family on Wednesday.

Detectives interviewed Olivera and then booked him into the Fresno County Jail for felony assault.

The attack on the sleeping 47-year-old man happened in front of a business on Olive and Maroa avenues around 2 a.m. on August 26.

Surveillance footage showed a man, now identified as Olivera, violently kicking the victim.

A witness who reported the assault said Olivera then ran off down Olive Avenue.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found him bleeding from the head with significant swelling.

The man was taken to Community Regional Medical Center for treatment but has since been released.

Fresno City Council Vice President Mike Karbassi put up $1,000 of his city budget to add to Valley Crime Stopper's $1,000 reward.

Investigators say the release of the surveillance footage assisted in identifying Olivera as the suspect.