Citizen leads police to stolen car in southeast Fresno

A citizen’s tip about a car stolen from Clovis led to the arrest of a former gang member early Thursday in southeast Fresno, police say.

Sgt. Brandi Phebus said officers were on patrol near Chestnut and Hamilton avenues about 4:40 a.m. when they were alerted to the vehicle, which was spotted near Dwight Way and Woodrow Avenue. The car sped off, but was located in the 4700 block of East Braly Avenue as the driver ran into a home. After surrounding the house, officers arrested Nathan Rios, 37, a former Bulldog gang member. He was booked on charges of auto theft and possession of stolen property.

Phebus said auto thefts are up 42 percent in the last 28 days in southeast Fresno. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP.

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Citizen leads police to stolen car in southeast Fresno."