Man chased down, arrested after 'recklessly' firing gun, police say

A 47-year-old man was chased down and arrested by officers in Merced on Friday for "recklessly" shooting a gun, according to the Merced Police Department.

No injuries were reported.

At about 9 p.m., officers were walking on W 12th Street near G Street when they heard three "loud" gun shots north of them, police said. Officers saw a car with no head lights on leave the area, police said, and pulled over the driver, Jose Pimentel, about two blocks away.

Pimentel tried to run away after he was arrested, according to police, and was caught.

Officers found a sawed off .270 rifle in Pimentel’s car, official said, and found evidence in an alley showing Pimentel fired the rifle "recklessly."

Pimentel was booked for several felony charges including, prohibited person in possession of firearm, prohibited person in possession of ammunition and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Anyone with any information regarding this crime can call 209-388-7761 or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at 209-385-4725. People can send anonymous text messages to the police department by dialing “TIP411” (847411) and including the word “Comvip” as the keyword in the message.

Monica Velez: 209-385-2486, @monicavelez21

This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Man chased down, arrested after 'recklessly' firing gun, police say."