Suspect arrested after car chase in Selma. He may be linked to several shootings, police say

Selma police arrested a 35-year-old Dinuba man Thursday after an early morning car chase that ended with the suspect rear-ending a police cruiser.

He threw a loaded rifle from his car as he was being chased, police said.

Officers were responding to calls of shots fired near the 1300 block of Rose Avenue around 3:20 a.m. when they got into the car chase with Jose Miguel Rios. The chase ran through residential areas and lasted 10 minutes before Rios rear-ended a patrol car, according to a statement from the Selma Police Department.

Rios jumped out of his car while it was still moving and ran into a back yard near Highland and Dinuba Avenues, where he was arrested. An search of the suspect’s car found a rifle case and gas can in the front passenger seat. Police later found the rifle — a loaded AK-47-style rifle with a bayonet attached — in a nearby gutter. Police believe Rios threw the gun out the window while being pursued.

Rios is suspected of shooting at a residence near Rose and Dockery avenues, and returning to the same residence later and setting fire to a vehicle, police said. He’s also suspected in an additional disturbance Thursday morning, when a suspect tried to get into an apartment. In video footage, a male suspect can be seen ringing a door bell while armed with a rifle.

The investigations are ongoing, police said.

Detectives are looking into other recent shootings in Selma in Kingsburg that Rios may have committed.

Rios was transported to Fresno County Jail and booked for evading a peace officer, driving with suspended license, failure to stop at stop sign, disorderly conduct and possession of firearm by felon.