Fatal Fresno crash: Pedestrian dragged for miles; suspect jumps from building as officers close in

The woman's body was discovered before 2 a.m. Friday outside a La Quinta Inn in Fresno.

A woman was hit by a pickup truck and dragged several miles before her body was found in the parking lot of a Fresno motel, police said.

The suspected driver was arrested after jumping out a third-story window as officers closed in.

The woman’s body was discovered before 2 a.m. Friday outside a La Quinta Inn in Fresno. Police determined she had been struck by a Chevy Silverado pickup near a shopping center in the city’s northwest corner. The victim, who was believed to be homeless, was pushing a shopping cart and walking a dog on a leash.

After the collision, the woman was trapped under the truck until it stopped at the La Quinta, off Highway 99 at the Shaw Avenue exit. The police estimated the distance driven as 8 miles, though the most direct route from the crash site to the motel is about 3½ miles.

Surveillance video showed the driver getting out of his damaged truck in the parking lot and driving away shortly afterward, police said.

On Saturday, the Fresno County sheriff’s office reported a 38-year-old man had been arrested in the Sierra Nevada community of Bass Lake, 50 miles from Fresno.

He reportedly suffered “major injuries to his upper body” after jumping from the third floor.

The victim has been identified as 29-year-old Monique Contreraz.