Concord Chase Leads To Arrest, Loaded Gun, Weed, Mushrooms: PD

CONCORD, CA — A probationer is accused of leading Concord officers on a chase Tuesday but was caught thanks to several community members, police said.

The pursuit Tuesday afternoon started when a patrol officer saw the driver of a black BMW run a red light and make an illegal U-turn. The officer caught up to the BMW on state Highway 4 and tried to conduct a traffic stop but the driver sped off, police said.

The driver eventually exited on Willow Pass Road but when he crashed into a tree, he took off running and left the car behind, police said.

That is when "several of our awesome community members stopped to point out to our officer where the suspect ran," police said.

The suspect, later identified by police as 19-year-old Anthony Flores of Bay Point, was soon taken into custody.

Two Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit dogs sent to help in the investigation, and turned up a loaded firearm that was not registered and had a high-capacity magazine inside, police said.

Officers also found two pounds of marijuana and mushrooms in a further search of the car, police said.

Flores, who has an extensive criminal history and was already on probation for illegal possession of a gun, was sent to the Martinez Detention Facility.

Police said Flores was booked on 11 felony charges and three misdemeanor charges.

"With help from our community and law enforcement partners, we got this suspect off the streets and no one was seriously injured," Concord police said.