Suspected car thief, gang member, now on Santa Rosa Police Department's 'most wanted' list

The latest name added to Santa Rosa Police Department’s “10 most wanted” list is a gang member with a penchant for stealing cars and who on Sunday afternoon escaped a pursuit, according to police.

Joseph Manuel Medrano, 26, eluded officers after ditching the car and running into a westside neighborhood, Sgt. John Cregan said Monday.

Police identified the driver as Medrano due to his distinctive hair cut and neck tattoo, Cregan said.

Sunday’s incident involving a stolen 1995 Honda Accord makes the fifth time in two years law enforcement officers have connected Medrano to a stolen car. He was convicted twice in 2013 for possessing a stolen vehicle and has been connected to three stolen car cases in three months.

Medrano was arrested in Santa Rosa last Christmas Day on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and was out on bail awaiting court when he was arrested March 19 in Cotati on the same charge. He bailed again from jail following that arrest and now Medrano is wanted on Sunday’s case, Cregan said.

The prolific car theft history coupled with years of gang activity landed Medrano on the police department’s “most wanted” list, Cregan said.

Sonoma County Alliance will pay $500 for information given to the police department that leads to Medrano’s arrest, Cregan said.

Sunday’s incident started at 4:03 p.m. when a Santa Rosa officer spotted a Honda Accord driver run a red light at Cleveland Avenue and Guerneville Road. The officer attempted to stop the driver, who sped off.

A records check of the vehicle showed it had been stolen earlier in the week from a Range Avenue apartment complex, Cregan said.

The brief, high-speed car pursuit ended on McBride Lane when the driver stopped and ran into a large apartment complex. A search with the help of a police dog and the Sonoma County sheriff’s helicopter led to a nearby creek area but the scent was lost from there.

Officers were able to identify the driver as Medrano when on-duty Santa Rosa Officer Michael Spediacci heard the driver’s description. The suspect sports a short-in-front, long-in-back, hair cut and has a tattoo of the northern star on his neck. Spediacci, who specializes in car theft cases, has arrested Medrano twice on the charge, Cregan said.

Cregan, who supervises gang investigations, described the suspect as a former norteño gang member who now is a member of Northern Ryders. The new criminal street gang, made up of a few hundred former norteño members, is an active norteño rival, he said.

Stemming from Sunday’s incident, Medrano is wanted on suspicion of possessing a stolen car, evading arrest, committing a felony while out of jail on bail and stealing a car with prior convictions for car theft.

Cregan asked anyone with information about the man’s location to call police at 528-5222, or property crimes detectives at 543-3575 or gang detectives at 543-3670.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at ?521-5412 or randi.?rossmann@pressdemo?crat.com. On Twitter?@rossmannreport.