SOLEDAD — Soledad police arrested an 18-year-old man Monday after officers responded to a report of a possible residential burglary and recovered a loaded handgun along his reported path of flight.
Officers were dispatched at about 12:50 p.m. on Aug. 17 to the 500 block of Main Street after witnesses reported seeing three to four people jump a fence into the backyard of a residence, according to the Soledad Police Department.
Officers located three people matching the descriptions near Little League Park. When officers attempted to contact them, all three fled in different directions. Two were quickly apprehended.
The third, identified as Eduardo Zepeda, 18, of Soledad, fled toward Dixie and Oak streets. Police said Zepeda was seen holding his waistband as he ran.
As a precaution, San Vicente and Gabilan elementary schools were placed on secure campus status while officers searched the area. Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Greenfield Police Department assisted with the search, and Greenfield police deployed a drone.
Police said Zepeda changed his clothing while fleeing in an apparent attempt to avoid identification. After about an hour of searching, officers located him fleeing on foot before he attempted to hide in the yard of a residence in the 100 block of Oak Street. He was taken into custody.
Officers later canvassed the area along Zepeda’s reported path and found a loaded black semiautomatic handgun. A records check indicated the firearm was unregistered, according to police.
Zepeda was booked into the Monterey County Jail on charges related to the incident. The investigation remains ongoing.
