Man Arrested for Evading Police; Stolen Mail Found in Vehicle 

January 4, 2025 – Fresno County Sheriff's Office officials report that at 12:20 a.m. on Friday, a deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on a 2001 Chevy Tahoe for a vehicle violation near Olive and Pleasant Avenues.  The driver, 42-year-old Manuel Burciaga, refused to pull over.  The driver initially drove at moderate speeds, but later began to speed up and ran a stop sign.  The pursuit was cancelled for safety reasons.

A short time later, deputies spotted the vehicle on a nearby freeway.  The suspect threw items out the window, which were later recovered and determined to be checkbooks.

He stopped near Fresno and Gettysburg and let people out of the vehicle.  CHP officers and deputies detained those two people for questioning.  They were later released.

Burciaga made his way back to Highway 180 and Van Ness.  This is where a deputy successfully deployed a spike strip.  The Tahoe’s tire was flattened and Burciaga continued driving, eventually stopping near Dudley and Lafayette Avenues.  Deputies took him into custody.  He is a known gang member from Fresno.

Inside the vehicle deputies found hundreds of pieces of mail belonging to people in several Central Valley cities such as Fresno, Clovis and Reedley.

Burciaga is currently only facing a felony charge of evading police.  Charges of identity theft may be placed on his record later on in the investigation.

Anyone with information about Burciaga or his vehicle is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 559-600-3111 or Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org.  You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.  Reference case #25-72.

Source & photos: Fresno County Sheriff's Office