3 held after gun is fired from a vehicle in southeast Fresno

Three men were arrested early Sunday morning after Fresno police officers say they heard shots being fired from a vehicle the men we driving in southeast Fresno.

Officers were in the area of Heaton and Cedar avenues at 1:40 a.m. when they heard shots being fired and then saw a single car driving through the neighborhood, the Fresno Police Department said.

The officers performed a traffic stop at Liberty and Maple avenues, and one of the passengers ran with a gun in his hand, police said. Air 43, a California Highway Patrol aircraft, was overhead and spotted the man hide under a nearby carport.

Police created a perimeter and took the man into custody.

A revolver was located under the rear passenger floorboard and a .22-caliber handgun was found in a front yard near where the passenger had fled, police said.

The six occupants of the car were detained. Three of them were arrested.

Julian Gonzales, 23, the driver, was arrested for allowing a passenger to discharge a firearm from the vehicle, police said. His father, Rudy Gonzales, 42, was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felon in possession of ammunition and for resisting/obstructing a peace officer. Ruben Santarosa, 25, was arrested for the negligent discharge of a firearm and for shooting from a vehicle.

Several of the occupants said they were cousins, police said. There was a 17-year-old in the car who was turned over to his parent, and the two other passengers were released with no charges.

This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 12:07 PM with the headline "3 held after gun is fired from a vehicle in southeast Fresno."