BMW Driver With Replica Gun Evades Officers, Crashes: SRPD

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Police pursued a possibly armed man in a BMW Monday in Santa Rosa but the brief chase ended when the driver crashed into a bus stop, Santa Rosa police said in a statement. Officers began looking for the driver, later identified as 22-year-old Santa Rosa resident Anderson Ismael Lopez-Padilla, at about 3:35 p.m. when they received a report about a man with a gun in the area of Rutledge Avenue and Milton Street in South Park, police said.

Someone had reported to police that a man in a gray BMW "was possibly casing the area and had a blue bandanna covering his face." The man was also "armed with a shotgun and had pointed it at a family member," the witness reportedly told police.

Officers located the BMW at Colgan and Santa Rosa avenues and attempted to pull Lopez-Padilla over but he did not stop, police allege.

Lopez-Padilla instead turned left onto southbound Santa Rosa Avenue where "he lost control and collided with a bus stop," then got out of the car and ran toward the Costco parking lot, police said.

Lopez-Padilla was taken into custody in the parking lot without incident, according to police.

The gun turned out to be a pellet rifle, which officers found in the back seat of Lopez-Padilla's car, police said.

Lopez-Padilla was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of brandishing a replica firearm, felony evading a police officer/reckless driving, violation of probation and hit and run.

Jail records show Lopez-Padilla remained behind bars Tuesday. Due to the probation violation he was being held without bail, according to his booking information.

Main photo courtesy of Santa Rosa Police Department