Loaded AR-15 found in vehicle after chase and hit-and-run crash in Costa Mesa, police say; suspect arrested

A man was arrested early Wednesday in Costa Mesa after an attempted traffic stop turned into a vehicle pursuit that resulted in a hit-and-run crash, police said.

Officers tried to stop a vehicle on a code violation shortly after 2 a.m., according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.

“The driver refused to stop and attempted to evade officers,� police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said.

The driver “seemed as if he had something in his possession,� though the object was concealed from officers, Fyad said.

During the pursuit, the driver struck a utility pole near the intersection of Fairview Road and Wilson Street and fled the vehicle on foot, police said.

Officers found a loaded AR-15 semiautomatic rifle on the front seat, according to police.

Police found a man hiding on the patio of an apartment in the 200 block of Avocado Street, Fyad said. An Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter crew and a Huntington Beach Police Department K-9 unit assisted, police said.

When the man did not surrender, the police dog was deployed, Fyad said.

The man was arrested and treated for bite marks and a broken arm before being taken to a hospital, police said.

Arthur Barajas Jr., 24, of Anaheim was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for safety, carrying a stolen firearm, carrying a loaded firearm with a prior felony conviction, violating probation, hit-and-run by a runaway vehicle with property damage, failure to stop and obstructing a peace officer, police said.

Barajas is on probation in connection with a felony count of possessing a controlled substance in jail, according to public records. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October to a year’s probation. Further information was not immediately available.

He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday, according to jail records.

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UPDATES:

This article was originally published at 6:40 p.m. and was updated with additional information.