Police chase in east Santa Rosa ends with gun, man found

A call Monday morning about a suspicious person in a car led to a Santa Rosa police chase, recovery of a stolen gun and the arrest of a man found hiding in a backyard.

Santa Rosa police were called at about 10:45 a.m. regarding a gray Volkswagen Jetta parked on Alvarado Avenue in east Santa Rosa, Sgt. Lisa Banayat said.

As officers arrived the driver took off, going as fast as 60 mph on residential streets in the neighborhood near Highway 12 and the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

The driver ditched the car on Corkhill Tree Road and ran. Officers found him hiding in a nearby yard.

Banayat said officers found a handgun in the area that may have been tossed by the man during the chase. A check on the gun’s status showed it was reported stolen.

Officers arrested Louis Jackson Strada, 38, on suspicion of giving false information to an officer, evading arrest, possessing a concealed weapon in a vehicle and possessing a stolen gun, Banayat said.

Strada told officers he is from Hawaii.