Chase through Ukiah results in minor injuries to officer

A 34-year-old man was arrested Thursday after leading police on a vehicle and foot chase that resulted in minor injuries to one officer, according to the Ukiah Police Department.

Benjamin Abla, a transient, was booked into the Mendocino County jail on suspicion of reckless evading and resisting arrest, and warrants issued on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.

The pursuit began after officers went to investigate a report of a suspicious vehicle on Oak Park Avenue just before 10 a.m. The vehicle, an older model Ford Thunderbird with expired registration, reportedly had been parked in the wrong direction with its engine running for about two hours, police said.

When an officer knocked on the window, apparently awakening Abla, he sped away, police said. He led police through Ukiah, then abandoned the car on West Standley Street and fled on foot, climbing over fences and through a creek before being caught, police said. One officer required stitches for his injuries.