FRESNO - A deputy with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is home recovering after having a bullet graze his upper leg. Around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, a deputy was dispatched to a domestic violence call in an alley near the area of 6th Street and Mayfair Drive South.

While on the way, the deputy contacted a man, walking along McKinley Ave., near Fairfax Ave. This man, later identified as 25-year-old Ricardo Venegas of Mendota, was believed to have possibly been related to the domestic violence disturbance.

As the deputy approached on foot, Venegas initially avoided the deputy and then became combative. During this fight, Venegas reached several times for the deputy’s holstered handgun. During the struggle, a round was discharged from the deputy's handgun while inside the holster.

An off-duty deputy driving through the area witnessed the fight and stopped to help. The two deputies were able to gain control of the suspect and place him under arrest. The injured deputy was transported to the hospital, treated for a minor injury and released later that evening.

A large number of deputies responded to the scene to provide assistance. Some of those deputies performed a search of the area for the people reportedly involved in the originally reported domestic violence incident but were unable to find anyone.

Ricardo Venegas is currently in the Fresno County Jail. At the time of his arrest, he was listed as a parolee at large. He faces several felony charges, some related to Wednesday’s altercation and others tied to investigations conducted by other law enforcement agencies. Detectives are recommending a charge of attempted murder against Venegas for attacking our deputy. His bail is currently $636,000.

This is an ongoing investigation. If anyone in the public witnessed this incident or captured video, please contact the Sheriff’s Office to share your story. Call Detective Adrian Villegas at 559-600-8210.