Police chased Fresno gang member who was arrested after losing control of his car

Fresno police were led on a short pursuit that resulted in the arrest of a Fresno gang member Tuesday.

Just after 4 p.m., Sgt. Ignacio Ruiz of Fresno Police Department attempted to approach two people inside a Silver Lexus SUV at Inyo and A streets.

The SUV took off at a high rate of speed and led Ruiz, along with assisting Special Response Team units, on a pursuit, said officer Fernando Rosario in a news release. The vehicle drove to the area of North Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, lost control and collided into a curb at Golden State Boulevard and Cedar Avenue.

The driver, 33-year-old Billy Joe Phelps of Fresno, was taken into custody. During the investigation, police learned that Phelps allegedly discarded a loaded 9mm Springfield XD handgun at a nearby landfill.

Phelps is a validated West Side Dog Pound gang member, Rosario said, and has an extensive criminal history that includes resisting peace officers, carrying a concealed firearm as a gang member and home invasion robbery.

He was booked into Fresno County Jail for possessing a firearm as a prior convicted felon.

This is the eighth firearm recovered by Southwest SRT in the past three weeks.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Police chased Fresno gang member who was arrested after losing control of his car."