Santa Rosa police arrest theft suspect hiding in West End backyard

Santa Rosa police surrounded a West End neighborhood street early Sunday to search for a man who fled after giving an officer a fake name, police officials said.

Officers were trying to arrest Antoine Webb, 33, about 8 a.m. Sunday near Cleveland Avenue and 11th Street because Webb was suspected of committing a “minor theft” last week, police said in a statement. Webb, who was described as a transient local to Santa Rosa, gave a fake name and struggled with the officers as they tried to put him in handcuffs, police said.

Webb ran, and an officer injured a knee while vaulting over a fence in pursuit. Officers surrounded the area south of College Avenue, and neighbors reported seeing Webb hiding in and around backyards. Police found Webb hiding in a yard nearby on Lincoln Street.

Webb was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of giving a false name to police and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors, as well as felony vandalism due to the damage done to a fence by the officer during the pursuit, according to police. Webb remained in custody late Sunday on $5,000 bail.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.