One of Merced County’s Most Wanted has been captured, authorities say

One of Merced County’s Most Wanted has been captured, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.

The office’s Patrol Bureau and the Supervised Release Team arrested 46-year-old Joseph Gonzalez around 7 a.m. Oct. 18 in the 700 block of Green Sands Avenue in Atwater, according to a news release.

Authorities say deputies went to the residence in an attempt to locate Gonzalez. When deputies arrived, Gonzalez took off running, leading them on a chase through the neighborhood, according to the news release. After losing sight of Gonzalez for a short time, authorities say that a yard to yard search led Sgt. Ray Framstad and Sgt. Kevin Blake to apprehend the suspect by chasing Gonzalez down and deploying their tasers.

Authorities say Gonzalez was wanted on suspicion of multiple felony offenses including rape, domestic violence, kidnapping and parole violation. Gonzalez has been on the run for several months and escaped capture multiple times, according to the news release.